Neglected and underutilized crop
Just three crops - maize, wheat and rice - account for about 50% of the world's consumption of calories and protein. About 95% of the world's food needs are provided by just 30 species of plants. In contrast, at least 12,650 species names have been called edible. Neglected and underutilized plants are those that could be - and, in many cases, historically have been - used for food and other uses on a larger scale.