Potentiality of Underutilized Vegetables for Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh
Mohammad Alamgir Hossain
9 East Bengal Regiment, Bangladesh Army, Jessore, Bangladesh.
Shaikh Shamim Hasan *
Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Gazipur, Bangladesh.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The vegetable species which are cultivated or grown but are underutilized and underexploited both regionally and globally are known as underutilized vegetables. Although the underutilized vegetables have poor market value and production, but these plant species are adaptive to local climatic conditions and require good management practices. However, the underutilized vegetables have good nutritional and medicinal values and which have capability to enhance food security of the poor people and have potential role towards sustainable development goals (SDGs) of Bangladesh. Currently, both the production and daily consumption of vegetable in Bangladesh is lower than the neighboring countries of it. Therefore, the underutilized vegetables can be an additional source of food for the people of Bangladesh which have potentiality to provide nutrition and income to the people. The role of underutilized vegetables are ignored and underexploited, sometimes, by agricultural researchers, policy makers, donor agencies, public and private investors, extension services and economists. Hence, it is important to promote these underutilized vegetables for food security and agricultural diversification which require further research.
Keywords: Underutilized, vegetables, sustainable development goals, potentiality, food security.