The economics of underutilized crops in Europe: a scoping literature review

Underutilized crops (UCs) represent a considerable number of crop varieties. Acknowledged as a source of biodiversity and food security in the global south, they could also contribute to crop diversity in Europe. This paper aims to review the scientific literature on the economic aspects of UCs at farm, value chain, and community levels in Europe. We find 55 papers. The literature gives only partial evidence on these economic aspects scattered across disciplines. Yet, combined, the sights help understand their potential. UCs mostly relate to specific farm types, i.e. moderate-scale farms and home gardens, with agroecological or low-input practices, and mostly involve local selling or self-consumption. When they are commercialized, positive characteristics emerge: lower input costs, moderate but stable yields, low production risks, sometimes relatively high selling prices and higher market independence. However, the literature also reports challenges: farmers face difficulties in accessing UC seeds and UCs are mostly commercialized outside of mainstream food systems due to incompatibility with crop registration rules and standardization requirements. To stimulate wider adoption, releasing UCs from their informal status appears essential. Supporting bottom-up initiatives of producing UCs could also widen their use and eventually contribute to development paths toward more sustainable and resilient food systems.