~ 1833 ~ The Pharma Innovation Journal 2021; 10(8): 1833-1839 ISSN (E): 2277- 7695 ISSN (P): 2349-8242 NAAS Rating: 5.23 TPI 2021; 10(8): 1833-1839 © 2021 TPI www.thepharmajournal.com Received: 09-05-2021 Accepted: 19-06-2021 RK Naresh Department of Agronomy, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India M Sharath Chandra Department of Agronomy, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India NC Mahajan Department of Agronomy, Institute of Agricultural Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India Pradeep Kumar Singh Department of Agronomy, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India Aryan Baliyan Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India Prashant Ahlawat Department of Plant Pathology, Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India Polepaka Shalini Department of Agronomy, Sam Higginbotham Agricultural University, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh., India Corresponding Author: RK Naresh Department of Agronomy, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India Neglected and underutilized crop species the key to improving soil nutritional security for fighting poverty, hunger and malnutrition in north-western IGP: A review RK Naresh, M Sharath Chandra, NC Mahajan, Pradeep Kumar Singh, Aryan Baliyan, Prashant Ahlawat and Polepaka Shalini Abstract Far too many individuals are suffering from hunger and under nutrition: nearly 690 million people are undernourished; 144 million children suffer from stunting, a sign of chronic under nutrition; 47 million children suffer from wasting, a sign of acute under nutrition; and in 2018, and 5.3 million children died before their fifth birthdays, in many cases as a result of under nutrition. The promotion of NUS in any country, regardless of its state of development, is an opportunity to promote and make use of the crop diversity and associated food traditions present at the local level, which are the unique expression of the work of generations of farmers and users. Safeguarding such a heritage is an important contribution to protecting the identity of local communities and reinforcing their self-esteem and confidence to counteract threats of standardization of local food culture arising from globalization trends and changes in life styles. NUCS are important source of household incomes and substantially contribute to poverty reduction. However, most of the species are rich in nutrients and have some proven medicinal values and the promotion of their use would help in combating malnutrition and improving the health status of the local populations. The100 g edible portion of dried seeds of Macrotyloma geocarpum contain water 9.7 g, energy 1457 kJ (348 kcal), protein 21.3 g, fat 1.1 g, carbohydrate 66.6 g, fibre 5.5 g, Ca 103 mg, P 392 mg, Fe 15.0 mg, zinc (4.42 to 4.92 mg), potassium (235.73 to 341.94 mg), thiamin 0.76 mg, riboflavin 0.19 mg, and niacin 2.3 mg and the content of essential amino acids per 100 g food is arginine (9.3 g), histidine (2.1 g), and phenylalanine (3.2 g), tryptophan 155 mg, lysine 1280 mg, methionine 267 mg, phenylalanine 1125 mg, threonine 738 mg, valine 1209 mg, leucine 1485 mg, and isoleucine 871 mg. Essential in pursuing the use-enhancement of NUS is the adoption of multi-stakeholder, multi- disciplinary and participatory approaches. Because of the central role of women in deploying NUS diversity in everyday life, interventions to enhance their capacities in farming, adding value, marketing and cooking these species are critical. The potential of neglected and underutilized crops with respect to how they can contribute to tropical challenges, such as food and nutrition security, human health and well–being, climate change adaptation, the environment, and employment creation in poor rural communities in India. Promising neglected and underutilized species (NUS) that are nutrient-dense, climate-resilient, profitable, and locally available/adaptable are fundamental to improving dietary and production diversity. This review paper collected literature has been an overview for improving Soil Nutritional Security for Fighting Poverty, Hunger and Malnutrition to address one aspect of the challenge that faces us if we want to diversify crops and increase the contribution of productivity and profitability that underutilized crops towards food security. Keywords: Neglected and Underutilized species (NUS), food Security, poverty, livelihood Introduction In the Green Revolution and the decades that followed, the focus of agricultural research was on increasing crop yields to ensure adequate calories for people who would otherwise have gone hungry. However, less attention was given to nutritional quality – providing a sufficient quantity of food trumped providing nutritious food. As a result, diets deficient in essential vitamins and micro-nutrients still persist in many parts of the world. Of the world’s estimated 7,000 million people, 500 million still suffer from protein-energy malnutrition, but over 1,600 million suffer from iron deficiency, over 200 million from vitamin A insufficiency (WHO 2008, 2009) and it has been estimated that over 400,000 children die each year from effects directly related to zinc deficiency (Harvest Plus 2011) [22] .