Neglected & Underutilized species

Join us on this day full of new insights, discussion and views on the role and potential of neglected and underutilized species for healthy and sustainable diets globally. We define these species as crops, trees and animals considered indigenous or historically rooted in a place that have long been part of local agriculture and food cultures but remain overlooked in research, policy and markets. This event will include presentations from key players throughout the food system, from leading researchers in seed systems, political economy, nutrition, biodiversity of diets, and ethnobotany to famous chefs and journalists. 

Registration Update
The symposium is currently fully booked, and unfortunately no additional registrations can be accommodated at this time.

Programme:

08:45 – 09:30 | Registration & coffee

09:30 – 09:50 | Welcome & Opening Remarks (Prof. Alida Melse, Chairholder Global Nutrition, Wageningen University and Research)

09:50 – 10:45 | Panel discussion - Getting NUS on the table: chefs’ perspective – (Wisdom Abiro – Chef Ghana Food Movement; Emile van der Staak – Chef ‘De Nieuwe Winkel’ with Wouter van Eck, Food Forest, The Netherlands)

10:45 – 11:15 | Coffee Break + tasting

11:15 – 11:35 | Cultural and economic politics of NUS – lessons from quinoa (Dr. Emma McDonell, University of Tennessee & Author "The Quinoa Bust: The Making and Unmaking of an Andean Miracle Crop") 

11:35 – 11:55 | Promotion of NUS: How to revitalize botanical and cultural heritage - Patrick Maundu – Ethnobotanist at National Museums of Kenya; 

11:55 – 12:15 | Q&A and synthesis of the morning  

12:15 – 13:15 | Lunch

13:15 – 13:45 | Biodiversity of diets (Prof. Baukje de Roos – University of Aberdeen; Dr. Corné van Dooren, Wageningen University and Research)

13:45 – 14:00 | Diversifying Healthy Diets through Neglected and Underutilized Species (Dr. Mathieu Ayenan, World Vegetable Center, Benin)

14:00 – 14:30 | Q&A and synthesis of the afternoon

14:30 – 15:00 | Coffee Break

15:00 – 16:15 | Round-table discussions in break out rooms 

16:15 – 17:00 | Closing Keynote – Eating to Extinction: Why Biodiversity Matters (Dan Saladino – BBC Journalist & Author “Eating to Extinction”)

17:00 – 18:00 | Drinks and bites 

Note: the program can be subject to changes, that we will update here on the website. 

Topics break out rooms:

• Culinary perspectives on NUS | Wisdom Abiro | Podium
• Climate, Youth and Biodiversity | Erica Galanti (FAO) | Q1
• Diversifying crop production | Mathieu Ayenan and  Wouter van Eck | Q2
• Governance and Indigious Knowledge | Emma McDonell | Q3
• Food Biodiversity & Health | Baukje de Roos and Carl Lachat (University Ghent) | Q4
• Story telling & Consumer Acceptance of NUS | Dan Saladino and Patrick Maundu | Spectrum
  

Keynote speakers : 

• Dan Saladino, BBC journalist and author of “Eating to extinction” 
• Emile van der Staak, chef of Michelin star restaurant De Nieuwe Winkel in Nijmegen, the Netherlands & Wouter van Eck, food forest pioneer
• Wisdom Abiro, Head chef at Ghana Food Movement, Ghana
• Prof. Baukje de Roos, Chair of Nutrition, Health & Sustainable Food Systems of University of Aberdeen, U.K. 
• Dr. Patrick Maundu, ethnobotanist at the National Museums of Kenya (Kenya Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge – KENRIK), Kenya
• Dr. Mathieu Ayenan, Associate Scientist – Vegetable Breeder, World Vegetable Center, Benin

Organized by:
Dr. Kim Maasen, Dr. Corné van Dooren, and Heleen Broekkamp
Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University

Dr. Siera Vercillo
Public Administration and Policy Group, Wageningen University

We acknowledge the contribution of the Sector Plan TECH II of Wageningen University funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science.