Utilizing food legumes to achieve iron and zinc nutritional security under changing climate

ABSTRACT

Climate is changing at an alarming rate, imposing significant negative impacts on the quantity and nutritional quality of the economical crop yield. Overreliance on staple cereals that demand high inputs has ecological, economic, and nutritional risks. Nutritional profiles of major food crops are being degraded under changing climate and the global micronutrient malnutrition called `hidden hunger` causes severe health impacts on developing countries in the world. Elevated atmospheric temperature and CO₂ concentration have reduced iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) levels of major food crops, thus, leading to dietary deficiencies of these micronutrients, constituting a major public health concern. Food legumes, which are highly suitable crops in the low-input farming systems, are a well-known source of Fe and Zn. Further, low-input farming systems have been reported as an integral component in climate-resilient food systems. Efficient use of existing genetic diversity of food legumes could improve the nutritional output of cropping systems, thereby sustaining human Fe and Zn nutrition in the face of global climate change. This review explores and describes the underexploited potentials of food legumes to be used as an integral component in low-input food-production systems adapted to climate change to combat micronutrient malnutrition, particularly focusing on Fe and Zn, which are of significant concern as key drivers of global micronutrient malnutrition.

KEYWORDS:

• Biofortification
• climate change
• iron
• legumes
• mixed-cropping
• zinc

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Peradeniya University Research Grant (URG/2019/44/Ag) received by D.M.S.B. Dissanayaka.