Science and technology for food system transformation: Integrating edible biodiversity, grassland conservation, nutrition, and climate resilience in Ghana and Africa

ABSTRACT Grassland ecosystems in Ghana and comparable African savanna regions support diverse plant resources that contribute to food security, ecosystem functioning, and climate adaptation. However, many edible plant species remain underutilized due to limited scientific characterization, weak integration into food systems, inadequate conservation attention, and insufficient application of emerging technologies for biodiversity assessment and management. This review evaluates the role of science and technology in supporting edible biodiversity conservation, nutritional utilization, grassland monitoring, and climate resilience within African grassland contexts. The review further examines processing technologies, nutritional composition, and food-safety considerations for underutilized edible species, linking conservation outcomes to food manufacturing applications and dietary relevance. A structured narrative review was conducted using records retrieved from Web of Science and Google Scholar, covering studies published from 2000 to 2026. Following the PRISMA-based identification, screening, eligibility assessment, and inclusion process, 74 studies were selected for qualitative synthesis. The included literature was examined across three interconnected thematic domains: (i) science and technology applications, including remote sensing, geographic information systems, ecological monitoring approaches, and molecular techniques; (ii) edible biodiversity conservation and utilization, focusing on plant diversity, nutritional potential, indigenous food resources, and sustainable management; and (iii) climate resilience and policy integration, addressing ecosystem adaptation, governance, and conservation planning. The review demonstrates that technological approaches provide valuable tools for documenting biodiversity patterns, improving ecological assessments, and strengthening evidence-based conservation decisions, although the extent of their application remains uneven across African grassland systems. The findings further highlight that underutilized edible species are constrained not only by limited consumption and market integration but also by inadequate agronomic research, conservation prioritization, and policy recognition. Based on the synthesized evidence, a science–technology integration framework is proposed to connect biodiversity monitoring, nutritional assessment, sustainable utilization, and climate adaptation strategies. This framework provides an evidence-informed pathway for advancing the conservation and sustainable use of edible plant diversity. The framework also recognizes the current limitations in empirical validation and implementation across different grassland regions.