Articles
Indigenous vegetables for improving nutrition security in the rural Mbororo community in Cameroon
Article number
1329_10
Pages
77 – 82
Language
English
Abstract
In Sub-Saharan Africa, indigenous vegetables are being threatened by the cultivation and marketing of vegetables with higher market value such as leeks, celery and carrots.
Moreover, most farmers in developing countries are switching toward mono-cropping production systems to meet the growing global demand for high-value vegetables as, for example, chili pepper in Sub-Saharan Africa countries such as Cameroon.
In this region, unfortunately, staple crops but not indigenous vegetables are promoted to fight food insecurity.
However, Bioversity International and the International Fund for Agricultural Development have been working on the promotion of indigenous, underutilized crops in South America.
Based on their results, we initiated a home garden project in 2017 in the Northwest region of Cameroon as a case study region for Sub-Saharan Africa.
The specific project aim was to improve the nutrition and income of the indigenous Mbororo women in seven communities, involving 114 women as beneficiaries.
The project gardens included three groups of vegetables: Nutrient-rich (e.g. amaranth), high-value (e.g. chili-pepper) and indigenous (e.g. jute mallow). Interviewing the Mbororo woman during the three years of working with the project gardens showed that indigenous vegetables were clearly the preferred food choice and enhanced their nutrition security.
However, the limiting factor was the availability of seeds in sufficient quantities and at specific qualities to meet the project demand.
The availability of seeds is an important precondition for the cultivation of indigenous vegetable species.
The results of this project are helping to promote diversity of indigenous vegetables with high nutritional quality and potential health benefits towards farmers of rural areas and, thereby, may help to establish a well-balanced diet and food security.
Moreover, most farmers in developing countries are switching toward mono-cropping production systems to meet the growing global demand for high-value vegetables as, for example, chili pepper in Sub-Saharan Africa countries such as Cameroon.
In this region, unfortunately, staple crops but not indigenous vegetables are promoted to fight food insecurity.
However, Bioversity International and the International Fund for Agricultural Development have been working on the promotion of indigenous, underutilized crops in South America.
Based on their results, we initiated a home garden project in 2017 in the Northwest region of Cameroon as a case study region for Sub-Saharan Africa.
The specific project aim was to improve the nutrition and income of the indigenous Mbororo women in seven communities, involving 114 women as beneficiaries.
The project gardens included three groups of vegetables: Nutrient-rich (e.g. amaranth), high-value (e.g. chili-pepper) and indigenous (e.g. jute mallow). Interviewing the Mbororo woman during the three years of working with the project gardens showed that indigenous vegetables were clearly the preferred food choice and enhanced their nutrition security.
However, the limiting factor was the availability of seeds in sufficient quantities and at specific qualities to meet the project demand.
The availability of seeds is an important precondition for the cultivation of indigenous vegetable species.
The results of this project are helping to promote diversity of indigenous vegetables with high nutritional quality and potential health benefits towards farmers of rural areas and, thereby, may help to establish a well-balanced diet and food security.
Publication
Authors
P.A. Ebile, J.N. Wünsche
Keywords
biodiversity, food preference, native vegetables, health benefits, home garden
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