Reorienting research investments toward underresearched crops for sustainable food systems

The dominance of a few staple crops (maize, rice, and wheat) in most agricultural systems hampers the application of interventions to improve food security and nu- trition. Research and development attention has focused on improving the pro- duction and utilization of these crops, leaving other crops under-researched and underutilized. Subsequently, there have been high malnutrition rates due to poor diet diversity, yet there are “opportunity crops” that remain under researched. The...