**by Permani C. Weerasekara and Angelika Ploeger**

By the year 2030, agriculture will have to provide the food and nutrition requirements of some eight billion people. These include eradicating hunger, improving access to food, ending all forms of malnutrition, promoting sustainable agriculture, and preserving food diversity. Food security is one of the global challenges. Simultaneously, research and development are focused on improving the productivity of a small number of existing crops that will improve global food production instead of increasing the diversity of crops. The result is the loss of agrobiodiversity. Humans cultivate about 150 of the estimated 30,000 species of edible plants worldwide, and most of our diets consist of just 30 species. New commercial crops and local wild plants can diversify global food production and better allow local acclimation to the diverse environment humans inhabit. We consider the values of and advantages and barriers to using local traditional food plants and knowledge in Sri Lanka. Also, we examine the missed opportunity to commercially produce local wild plants in Sri Lanka. We examine how wild species have been determined to improve crop varieties and where efforts must be concentrated to harness their value in the future. This chapter aims to improve the use of traditional food plants through the diversification of food for sustainable food production and practices in Sri Lanka. This will benefit fighting hunger and improve sustainable biodiversity.

### **Eliminating Hunger: Yam for Improved Income and Food Security in West Africa**

#### **by Beatrice Aighewi, Norbert Maroya, Robert Asiedu, Djana Mignouna, Morufat Balogun and P. Lava Kumar**

Yam, *Dioscorea* spp., is a valuable vegetatively propagated crop grown in many parts of the tropics. In West Africa, the species *Dioscorea rotundata* is a nutritious staple and provides food security and a means of livelihood to millions of people. Yam is produced mainly by smallholder farmers using local landraces with limited inputs. Increased annual production is attained by increasing the area while productivity is low and stagnated. Significant contributors to the low productivity include unavailability, high cost, poor quality of planting material, nematode and viral infections, and declining soil fertility. The multiplication ratio of yam in traditional production methods is low (1:3). Seed to replant the same size of field harvested consumes about a third of the total production, i.e., about 23.6 million tonnes out of 70.8 million tonnes of the annual production of the West African sub-region are reserved for planting the next crop. Improving the seed yam multiplication ratio and productivity will improve the availability of more yams for food. The initiative "Yam Improvement for Income and Food Security in West Africa (YIIFSWA)" has developed new strategies for improved propagation of quality yam planting materials and increased the multiplication ratio to 1:300 using nodal vine cuttings from plants produced in hydroponic systems instead of tubers, thereby releasing more tubers for food use. By using improved yam varieties with good agronomic practices as well as nematode and viral disease management, the productivity of yam is improved. These improvements have great potential to enhance food security and alleviate hunger and poverty.

### **Coconut-Based Livestock Farming: A Sustainable Approach to Enhancing Food Security in Sri Lanka by Tharindu D. Nuwarapaksha, Shashi S. Udumann, Nuwandhya S. Dissanayaka and Anjana J. Atapattu**

Coconut (*Cocos nucifera* L.) cultivation in Sri Lanka holds a significant position in the agricultural landscape of the country, contributing to the social, economic, and cultural lives of millions. Coconut-based livestock farming is an innovative and sustainable approach that combines coconut cultivation with livestock rearing to enhance food security and promote environmental sustainability. This chapter provides an overview of the potential benefits, challenges, and relevance of coconut-based livestock farming systems in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), particularly in relation to food security in Sri Lanka. Coconut–livestock integration is a farming system that aims to establish a synergistic relationship between livestock and coconut by integrating them on the same land. This approach can be implemented in various forms, including agroforestry, silvopastoral systems, mixed crop–livestock systems, and integrated crop–livestock systems. The cultivation of forage crops in coconut plantations has been identified as a substantial agricultural endeavor, presenting opportunities for sustainable practices and livestock development. Fodder production and conservation on coconut land, particularly through silage, are explored as crucial components of coconut-based livestock farming. This chapter underscores the role of this integrated approach in achieving the SDGs related to poverty eradication, sustainable agriculture, responsible consumption, climate change mitigation, and biodiversity conservation. Moreover, these systems play a key role in achieving SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and its associated objectives, while also contributing to SDG 8, SDG 12, SDG 13, SDG 15, and SDG 17. The study concludes by highlighting the potential of coconut-based livestock farming to contribute to the SDGs and promote sustainable and inclusive agricultural practices in Sri Lanka.

### **Approaches to Limiting Food Loss and Food Waste by Ioana Mihaela Balan, Teodor Ioan Trasca, Ioan Brad, Nastasia Belc, Camelia Tulcan, Bogdan Petru Radoi and Alexandru Erne Rinovetz**

Considering the general context of food loss and waste, the year 2011 marked a significant turning point, with data published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimating that more than a third of the world's food production is lost or wasted throughout the food chain. Alarmingly, this situation persisted for over a decade, until 2022, showing a regressive trajectory rather than improvement. This trend has had negative consequences, impacting economic, social, and environmental conditions, although an exact quantification of its effects remains elusive at present. Within this framework, the tandem challenges of food loss and food waste have emerged as important issues within global food systems, perpetuating a cycle of generating substantial volumes of edible food waste annually. The current chapter introduces a holistic approach designed to address the intricate facets of food loss and food waste across all stages of the food chain. In this context, this chapter proposes key and complementary measures aimed at mitigating these negative effects within relevant stages of the food chain. While the chapter does not propose to offer an exhaustive analysis, it nonetheless synthesizes the worldwide scenario, supplemented by a detailed illustration of the situation in Romania as a representative model. The research methodology involved both the examination of external data and the authors' own published data. The chapter's overarching conclusion underscores the resounding significance: in the context of Sustainable Development Goal 2—Zero Hunger, the reduction in food loss and food waste emerges as a solution for increasing quantities of available food for global population. This approach holds a dual boon, benefiting the environment by reducing water and land resource consumption and subsequently reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The outcomes will provide increased productivity, catalyze economic growth, and produce more sustainable societies.
