1ICRISAT21 June, 2012

Sayed Azam-AliCEO Crops for the Future Research CentreProfessor of Global Food Security University of Nottingham

Crops for the Future: Beyond Food Security

7000

20

3

350,000 –500,000

Plant Species

>60% World Food

Crop Species

Major Food Crops

Globalising the Human Food Chain:Species

Hunter-Gatherers

Agri-silvo-pastoral

Agroforestry

Intercropping

Sole cropping

Globalising the Human Food Chain:Cropping Systems

Globalising the Human Food Chain:Cropping Systems

6000 Languages

7 Languages>50% Humanity

MandarinSpanishEnglishArabicHindi/UrduPortugueseBengali

Globalising the Human Food Chain:Knowledge systems

Language Subject Species System

Globalising the Human Food Chain:

• Never have so few species fed so many people

7 Billion people depend on 7 species for our food

• Never have so few languages informed so many people

7 written languages inform the world

• Climates of the Future?

Should we seriously reconsider the diversity of our agricultural and knowledge systems?

Globalising the Human Food Chain

The International Agricultural Research Network: Crop Centres

http://www.cgiar.org/centers/index.html

No global institution responsible for research on underutilised crops

CIMMYT

CIP

CIAT BioversityICARDA

WARDA

IITA

ICRISAT IRRI

Crops For the Future

Crops for the Future (CFF) A new international alliance for underutilised crops

Any food or non‐food crop not  supported by  international centres

University of Nottinghamin Malaysia

BioversityInternational

ResearchGlobal

•One of the World’s 17 megadiverse countries•Agroecological diversity and agroregional transect•Political stability, infrastructure, research capacity

Crops for the Future – why Malaysia?

Languages• 30 sub-ethnic linguistic groups

- Repository of ethnobotanical, vernacular knowledge

Biodiversity• 18 000 species of flowering plants and trees

Agroecology• Rapid environmental gradients

Borneo and diversity:

Crops for the Future – why Malaysia?

University of Nottinghamin Malaysia

Research Company limited by guarantee without share capital

GoM funding until 2017

Crop research facilities

Operational costs

Crops for the Future Research Centre

Government of Malaysia

World’s first research centre dedicated to underutilised(alternative) crops for food and non-food uses

• Food, feed, health, nutrition, energy, biomaterials • Product marketing opportunities • Capacity-building

Crops For the Future Research Centre

CFFRC – developments

2011• June: Launch by Prime Minister Dato Sri Najib Tun Razak• Nov: ADB Stakeholder Dialogues, Manila and Kuala Lumpur• Aug: Legal entity established: Chairman and CEO appointed

2012• Jan: Research Strategy launched • Mar: Research Facilities planned • April: Exemplar Programmes developed• May: CFFRC`250PLUS’ scholarships launched

CFFRC – Research Strategy

Knowledge Systems

Sustainable Nutrition

High Value Agriculture

Enhancing community nutrition and health by diversifying crops and products

Accessing digital technologies across the value chain

Moving `up the value chain’ throughnovel products

Core investment in research on underutilised crops

Crops For the FutureResearch Centre

CROPS FOR THE FUTURERESEARCH CENTRE

MALAYSIA

Green, energy efficient, iconic structures

Botanical garden of alternative crops

Recycled natural resources

CROPS FOR THE FUTURERESEARCH CENTRE

MALAYSIA

Crops For the FutureResearch CentreExemplar Programmes

CropBaseWeb-based Knowledge Platform for Underutilised crops

CropFinder

CropGrower

CropUser

CropMapper

CropBreeder

Indigenous Knowledge

Wikipedia

Knowledgebase

CFFRC – Exemplar Programmes

CropBase

FishPlus

Cropbase

StarchPlus

FoodPlus BamYield

BiomassPlus

BiomassPlusSupporting 1MBAS with alternative crops

• Oilpalm sector– Land not suited to production of oilpalm– Land currently underutilised in oilpalm plantations

• Novel sources of biomass– Local species not currently being used for biomass– Novel biomass species that can be introduced to Malaysia

`resource capture `space’ available before canopy closure, under oil palm canopy and below pylon corridors in oil palm plantations

BiomassPlus

CropBase

Phase I. Scoping Select novel biomass sources  

Phase II. Technology

Functional analysis and modification of novel biomass products

Phase III. Implementation

Uptake of novel biomass products by end‐users and commercial sector

Targetted breeding programme on key biomass crops 

Database of novel biomass sources

Expanding on 1Malaysia Biomass Alternative Strategy (1MBAS)  

FishPlusPlant-Based Fishfeed from Underutilised Crops

Plant Based fishfeed not widely used or available

Limited supply of fishfeed

Capture fisheries are over‐fished and declining

Over‐capacity in  fishing fleets

Demand for seafood protein rising steadily

Destruction of fish habitats/ breeding grounds

Increased urbanisation and industrialisation

Increasing marine pollution, coastal land reclamation, deforestation of mangroves and coastal forests

Increased global population and  affluence

Aquaculture feed producers rely on well‐known, proven sources of fishmeal

Ignorance on effectiveness  of PBAF

Aquaculture farmers rely on traditional practices, including feed selection

Limited training and awareness building in aquaculture sector of developing countries

Aquaculture  relies on feed  from limited and declining marine living resources  

Can we develop plant‐based  fishfeed  from locally available underutilised crops?

Global fish stocks are depleted

FishPlusDeveloping opportunities at the interface of fish – plant research

CropBase

Phase I. Scoping

Assess biological and economic feasibility of candidate crops

Phase II. Technology

Product development and trials for candidate species/products

Phase III. Implementation

Supply chain demonstrations via end-users and industry partners

Fish Breeding

Targettedbreeding programme on key FishPluscrops

Feeds and probiotics

StarchPlus

• The approach– Screen, test and develop novel sources of starch to complement

and/or replace starch from existing sources• Key characteristics

– Partnership between CFFRC, international partners, private sector and end-users.

– Link plant/processing/industry expertise to derive and utilise local alternatives to imported starch

• Sustainability– Development of proof-of-concept starch products in partnership with

private sector for commercial application beyond project timeframe

Identifying and developing novel sources of industrial starch  

StarchPlus

CropBase

Phase I. Scoping

Desk study for possible alternative starch sources

Phase II. Technology

Functional analysis and modification of new starches

Phase III. Implementation

Uptake of complementary starches by end-users

Targetted plant breeding programme on key StarchPluscrops

Database of novel starch sources

Identifying and developing novel sources of industrial starch

FoodPlus

CropBase

Phase I. Screening

Desk study to determine possible nutritional sources

Phase II. Technology

Functional analysis and modification of products

Phase III. Implementation

Uptake of nutritional products by end-users and commercial sector

Targetted plant breeding programme on key FoodPluscrops

Database of novel nutritional sources

Sustainable nutrition through diversified diets

Centre of diversityCameroon/Nigeria

Case Study:Bambara groundnut

Mapping Global Yield Potential

Case Study:Bambara groundnut

Azam-Ali et al 2002

Bambara groundnut in Indonesia

West Java – kacang bogor

East Java - kacang kapri

Case Study:Bambara groundnut

Case Study:Bambara groundnut: Linking Knowledge Systems

South East Asia Africa

BAMYIELD: linking knowledge systems

Linking  research and knowledge systems in South‐East Asia and Africa

Crops For the FutureResearch Centre

‘250PLUS Scholarship Scheme’

‘250PLUS’ Scholarships

• 250 `postgraduate years’ registered with Univ. of Nottingham

• Joint supervision between UoN, CFFRC and research partners

• PLUS `Providing Links to Underutilised Species’– Exemplar Programmes– Research Priorities– New ideas

250PLUS

PhDMRes

PhDMRes

Full FeesStipendConsumables

Full Fees

UNMCPartners

CFFRCPartners

CFFRC `250PLUS’ Scholarship Scheme (2012-2017)

42

ICRISAT21 June, 2012

Sayed Azam-AliCEO Crops for the Future Research CentreProfessor of Global Food Security University of Nottingham

Crops for the Future: Beyond Food Security