Unlocking the potential of Bambara groundnut for food security and climate resilience

A global research team co-led by the University of Cambridge’s Crop Science Centre (CSC) [https://www.cropsciencecentre.org] is unlocking the potential of Bambara groundnut in a pioneering project to combat food insecurity and climate change.

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) is a crop with huge potential to address global food and nutrition security challenges. It thrives in poor soils, supports soil health through nitrogen fixation, and provides a highly nutritious food source – especially valuable in areas affected by poverty, malnutrition, and water scarcity.

A major new UK-CGIAR Centre project [https://www.cabi.org/genetic-improvement-of-bambara-groundnut-for-future-nutrition-and-climate-resilience] led by Cambridge’s Crop Science Centre and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) [https://www.iita.org/] aims to create the genomic resources and tools to accelerate breeding innovation and develop new varieties of the crop that encourage its wider use.

“Bambara is a hardy climate resilient crop with significant nutritional and soil health improvement qualities,” said Professor Uta Paszkowski [https://www.cropsciencecentre.org/staff/uta-paszkowski/ / https://www.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/directory/uta-paszkowski], Acting Director of the Crop Science Centre and Cambridge lead for the project. “Despite being widely adopted and having many agricultural and dietary benefits, the plant remains underutilized due to yield instability, long cooking times and adaptation issues.”

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