By Asmahanim Amir
Pictures by Ikhwan Hashim

SEMENYIH, 22 Feb 2018 –  Institute of Systems Biology (INBIOSIS), UKM is working hand-in-hand with Crops For the Future (CFF) to ensure the sustainability of crops and food security, through research.

UKM Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation, Prof Dr Hj Mohd Ekhwan Toriman said the research will focus on nutritional value chains for dietary diversification that will deliver nutritious and marketable products including the contributions of underutilized crops.

“I hope this collaboration will provide an evidence based information on the nutritional status of underutilised crops and unravel the potential role it can play in enhancing food and nutritional security, both under the current and future climate scenarios,” he said while delivering his speech at the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Signing Ceremony between UKM and CFF, recently.

Meanwhile, CFF Chief Executive Officer, Prof Sayed Azam-Ali said the collaboration will link CFF expertise on underutilized crops with relevant capacities, platform technologies, database and knowledge system at UKM.

“This effort will demonstrate how the development and delivery of nutritional value chains that include ingredients from currently underutilized crops can contribute to dietary diversification,” he said.

CFF is the only research centre in the world dedicated to research on underutilized crops for food and non-food uses.

CFF researches focus on agricultural biodiversity to enhance agricultural system and sustainability and improve food & nutritional security & economic well-being, especially of the poor.