Farm to Table
Introducing Varietal Diversity into Grain Systems: Policy Intervention Points for Agrobio-diversification from Breeding to Baking
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Stephanie Walton
This research is concerned with how policies either help or hinder food producers who are working with diverse grain varieties in their efforts to develop, grow, process and sell diversity. The objective was to identify policy intervention points along the value chain for re-introducing agrobiodiversity in the field and on the plate. As agrobiodiversity continues to decline while industrial farming systems prioritize high-input, high-yielding monocultures, there is a growing call in the fields of ecology and nutrition to increase diversity within food systems. This work contributes to these discussions by exploring the policies needed to facilitate producers in undertaking this work. A single case study was analysed – the introduction of diverse grain varieties in England and their transformation into food in the form of flour and bread – to map where polices intersect with the value chain. Multi-round interviews and interactive policy mapping were used to identify how policies impact producers’ ability to run a viable business while introducing varietal diversity onto farms and to consumers. Five policy points of intervention were identified across the value chain for facilitating producers in agrobio-diversification – (1) seed registration and certification (2) land tenancy and ownership, (3) grants for farm and processing machinery, (4) education and apprenticeships and (5) urban planning policy. These findings show that commonly proposed policy solutions like payments for environmental services will not be sufficient to facilitate diversification, but that action will need to be taken at multiple points in the system.
Effects of Storage at Room Temperature on the Food Components of Three Species of Cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta, Xanthosoma atrovirens and X. sagittifolium) View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Matthew Ogwu
Cocoyam is a traditional staple root crop in many developing and underdeveloped countries where they are grown primarily for their edible corms, cormels, and leaflets. Cocoyam is vital for addressing food and nutrient security, climate change, environmental sustainability, and poverty reduction because they are essentially produced by small-scale, resource-poor, female farmers with minimal agricultural input. This work evaluated the effects of long-term storage on the food components of three cocoyam species (Colocasia esculenta, Xanthosoma atrovirens and X. sagittifolium). Collected corms and cormels were stored for 201 days at room temperature and then quantitative proximate, mineral, and phytochemical analyses were carried out using a standard laboratory technique. Results suggest that long-term storage may potentially lead to species-specific significant changes in some nutritional contents of cocoyam. Moreover, the analysis of secondary phytochemicals suggests that cyanide, oxalate and saponin contents are negatively affected by long-term storage in C. esculenta and X. sagittifolium. All mineral constituents assessed from the corms of the two Xanthosoma species were significantly reduced. The findings from this study suggest the need for innovative storage methods for cocoyam while contributing to the discourse on cocoyam food properties.
