NUS for Healthier Diets

Enhance your diet with NUS. Highly nutritious. Agroecologically produced.

hay-bales
Healthy Families
corn
Strong Crops
tea-leaves
Better Farming
About NUS Tanzania

NUS stands for Neglected and Underutilized Species. In Tanzania, these are traditional crops, fruits, and local foods that were once a regular part of everyday meals but have become less common as farming and food markets have focused on a few major staple crops.

Many of these foods are highly nutritious, providing important vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that help support healthy and diverse diets. They are also often well adapted to local conditions and can grow even in challenging environments, making them valuable for climate resilience and food security.

These foods are deeply connected to Tanzania’s cultural heritage. They reflect the knowledge, traditions, and food practices of different communities across the country—from coastal areas to the highlands and rural farming regions. They are an important part of what makes Tanzanian food culture so rich and diverse.

NUS are also part of a forgotten food heritage, offering unique flavours and ingredients that have been enjoyed for generations. By bringing these foods back to our plates, Tanzania can celebrate its food diversity, preserve traditional knowledge, and reconnect with its culinary roots.

Climate Resilience

Climate Resilience

NUS are well adapted to local environments and perform better under drought, poor soils, and variable rainfall.
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Heritage Preservation

NUS safeguard indigenous knowledge and intergenerational farming and food traditions.
Enhanced Nutrition

Enhanced Nutrition

Rich in micronutrients, protein, fiber, and antioxidants, NUS contribute to healthier and more diverse diets.
Diversified Livelihoods

Diversified Livelihoods

Reliance on a wider range of crops and livestock buffers households against market fluctuations and crop failures.
Ecological Balance

Ecological Balance

These crops improve soil health, support biodiversity, and promote agroecological farming systems.
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Women’s upliftment

Women play a vital role in NUS cultivation, processing, and marketing, fostering economic and social empowerment.

Traditional Crops Helping Families and Farmers Thrive

Why NUS Matters ?

Traditional Crops Helping Communities Grow Stronger

01

Healthy Food

02

Drought Resistant Crops

03

Better Farming

04

Support for Farmers

05

Protecting Local Knowledge

NUS Impact

How NUS Change Lives

Our Products

NUS Products

01
Boga (Pumpkin)

Boga

Vitamin-rich pumpkin, grown the agroecological way.
02
Mchicha (Amaranth)

Mchicha

Leafy amaranth packed with iron and protein.
03
Mgagani (Spider Plant)

Mgagani

Traditional spider-plant greens, full of nutrients.
04

Njugu Mawe

Protein-rich bambara groundnut from local farms.
05
Nyanya Chungu (African Eggplant)

Nyanya Chungu

Vitamin-packed African eggplant, freshly harvested.
06
Tembele (Sweet Potato Leaves)

Tembele

Tender sweet-potato leaves, rich in vitamins.
07
Topetope (Custard Apple)

Topetope

Sweet, creamy custard apple grown naturally.
08

Ufuta

Nutritious sesame seeds, agroecologically produced.
09
Ulezi (Finger Millet)

Ulezi

Wholesome finger millet, a climate-resilient grain.
Rooted in Lindi & Mtwara

Our NUS Producers

Taste the tradition

NUS Recipes

Mangungu - mapishi ya NUS nchini Tanzania

Mangungu

Iftar with assorted vegetable - mapishi ya NUS nchini Tanzania

Iftar with assorted vegetable

Chipwenje (Mseto)/ Bambara Pilau. - mapishi ya NUS nchini Tanzania

Chipwenje (Mseto)/ Bambara Pilau.

Pumpkin Chapatti - mapishi ya NUS nchini Tanzania

Pumpkin Chapatti

Pumpkins Mandazi - mapishi ya NUS nchini Tanzania

Pumpkins Mandazi

Bambara Ugali - mapishi ya NUS nchini Tanzania

Bambara Ugali

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About Us

SWISSAID is a non-governmental organization headquartered in Bern, Switzerland. In Tanzania, our main office is in Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam, with a regional office in Lindi Municipality.

Our mission is to create fair and lasting solutions to fight against the global food crisis.

We empower women, especially women in agriculture, to act as driving forces in the fight against hunger, poverty, and gender-based violence.

We are committed to bringing about an agroecological turning point in agriculture, and we support people in the Global South with the production and marketing of their products, all while preserving resources. In doing so, we promote social justice, improve biodiversity, and take action against climate change.

So that even the poorest can have access to healthy food and live self-determined lives free of violence.

Through our CONSUMPTION OF RESILIENT ORPHAN CROP FOR PRODUCTS FOR HEALTHIER DIETS Project (CROPS4HD), we encourage the cultivation of 12 neglected and underutilized nutritious crops. By improving seed systems, conserving seeds through community seed banks, and ensuring access to farmer-managed seeds, we support food security, better nutrition, income generation, and environmental conservation.

AgriFocus
FiBL
SWISSAID
CROPS4HD
What drives us

Our Values

Nutrition & Health

Nutritious traditional crops for healthier families.

Biodiversity

Protecting Tanzania's neglected and underutilised species.

Farmer Empowerment

Better income and opportunity for local farmers.

Cultural Heritage

Reviving the crops and foods of our communities.

Sustainability

Agroecological, climate-resilient farming practices.

Collaboration

Working together across the CROPS4HD partnership.
Growing together

Our Partners

SWISSAID
FiBL
AFSA
CROPS4HD
AgriFocus
SWISSAID Tanzania
SWISSAID
FiBL
AFSA
CROPS4HD
AgriFocus
SWISSAID Tanzania
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