The role of neglected and underutilized species (NUS) in sustainable development goals (SDGs): The case of sea buckthorn value chain in rural China

Neglected and underutilized species (NUS) can play a crucial role in food and nutrition security, agricultural diversity and resilience, poverty reduction, and income generation. Given the importance of NUS in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) without notable trade-offs, this study conducts in-depth interviews with sea buckthorn value chain stakeholders in three counties in Gansu Province, China, to understand key drivers for creating new NUS value chains, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of each type of value chain stakeholders, and the role of NUS for sustainable development. The findings show that four drivers, namely infrastructure (e.g., rural roads for logistics, information and communication technology facilities for e-commerce), investment (e.g., agricultural loans/subsidies), scientific and technological (e.g., advanced processing equipment, research on breeding and strategic plantation), and market drivers (e.g., offline and online e-commerce platforms) have better integrated internal natural and human capital and external financial, physical, and social capital into NUS value chains. The study proposes a novel conceptual framework for the adoption of the NUS value chain, highlighting the significant potential of NUS in achieving a balance between the economic, social, and ecological objectives of the SDGs at a regional level through responsible and strategic plantation, production, processing, marketing, and consumption of NUS.