The importance and use of Amaranthus for crop diversification in the SADC region

Abstract

Crop diversification is crucial for sustaining food security under current climatic conditions which limits crop productivity. It also provides an opportunity for the introduction of new food products and medicinal plants. Effective exploration of Amaranthus in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region can provide economic and agricultural potential, high nutritional value and medicinal properties that can sustain communities. This review is focused on economic and agricultural potential, nutritional value, chemical composition, and medicinal properties of Amaranthus. Amaranthus is an underutilized, inexpensive vegetable with significant dietary minerals, vitamins, proteins, and bioactive compounds with potential health benefits. An agricultural-based approach of crop diversification has been suggested as a sustainable measure that can address food security, fight poverty and malnutrition under drought and heat stress. Nutritional, chemical composition, and medicinal properties of A. caudatus, A. hypochondriacus, A. cruentus, A. spinosus, A. dubius, A. blitum, A. virdis and A. hybridus, was reviewed. In addition, co-administration of herbal medicine by cancer patients and risk of herb-drug pharmacokinetic interactions was also highlighted. The future tolerance level to environmental stressors; investigation of the effect of processing and cooking methods on the nutrient content, bioactive compounds profile and nutraceutical properties of local species and varieties are also recommended in this review.