A comprehensive framework for introducing novel crops into new agroecological regions

Climate change and resource depletion are pressing Mediterranean and temperate agricultural systems to broaden their crop portfolios from their current limited set of dominant crops. This article outlines a system approach for the identification, evaluation, and scaling up of climate-resilient novel crops for Mediterranean and temperate regions. A group of less used crops, comprising Eragrostis tef (teff), Salvia hispanica (chia), Digitaria exilis (fonio), Amaranthus sp. (amaranth), and Thinopyrum intermedium (Kernza®), are examined with respect to their agronomic adaptability, nutritional and environmental value, and commercialization prospects. These crops are considered in terms of their biophysical performance, socioeconomic factors, and their impacts on the environment. A case study of Chenopodium quinoa (quinoa) in Mediterranean Europe is used to demonstrate the transition from experimental introduction towards commercialization and scaling up of novel crops, with particular emphasis on the importance of adaptation breeding, mechanization, and the development of coordinated value chains and policy support systems. Overall, the results suggest that crop diversification has the potential to increase system resilience, reduce dependency on external inputs, and mitigate the impacts of climate change in agricultural systems in the Mediterranean and temperate regions, and therefore position novel crops as a viable route towards more sustainable agricultural systems in these regions.