Abstract

Food insecurity is most severe in dryland regions, where climate stress and limited resources exacerbate nutritional deficiencies and undermine livelihoods. Functional foods enriched with natural bioactive compounds offer a pathway to improve health while supporting sustainable food systems. This review addresses the gap in understanding how traditional dryland food systems can be integrated with modern innovations to enhance food and nutrition security. This review explores the role of functional foods in strengthening food and nutrition security, linking traditional dryland staples such as sorghum, millet, legumes, and camel milk with modern innovations, including fermentation, biofortification, and precision nutrition. A narrative literature synthesis was conducted, drawing from peer-reviewed journal articles, reports, and regional studies relevant to dryland communities. Challenges remain in food safety, postharvest losses, and research investment; however, integrating indigenous knowledge with science enhances dietary diversity, resilience, and community well-being. The review identifies key challenges and opportunities and proposes a conceptual framework linking traditional food systems with modern functional food innovations to enhance sustainable security. Functional foods rooted in both tradition and innovation offer a practical way to reduce malnutrition and disease risks in dryland communities.

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