Articles
POTENTIAL ROLE OF INDIGENOUS VEGETABLE PRODUCTION IN HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY: A CASE STUDY IN THE LIMPOPO PROVINCE OF SOUTH AFRICA
Article number
911_52
Pages
447 – 453
Language
English
Abstract
Indigenous vegetables are highly adaptable to harsh environmental conditions.
They also tend to have short production cycles, require few purchase inputs and produce high yields with high nutritional values.
Almost one billion people world-wide experience hardship that hunger imposes.
In South Africa, at least 3 million people under the age of 15 are suffering from malnutrition.
The 1999 national food consumption survey in South Africa showed that 10% of children in rural areas consumed wild leaves/spinach.
Furthermore children with home gardens have higher vitamin and mineral intakes than those without home gardens.
The use of indigenous plants as leaf vegetable is a common practice in Africa.
Amaranth is one of such well-known vegetables among the indigents of South Africa.
Surveys were conducted at two Districts (Capricorn and Vhembe) of the Limpopo Province.
The aim was to determine current production levels of amaranth, explore opportunity for commercialization and investigate the extent of utilization of the crop.
A total of 60 households participated in the surveys, with two communities selected per District.
A structured questionnaire was used for the collection of information on amaranth.
The majority of the households still collect amaranth from the wild (97% in the Capricorn District and 100% in the Vhembe District). Among the households 98% use amaranth as a leaf vegetable, others as livestock feed and snuff.
Most of the households indicated their willingness to grow amaranth for consumption purpose while less than 40% of the households expressed willingness to grow amaranth for income generation purposes.
Some of the reasons given were; lack of knowledge about the possibility for marketing the crop, lack of required production skills and lack of seeds.
They also tend to have short production cycles, require few purchase inputs and produce high yields with high nutritional values.
Almost one billion people world-wide experience hardship that hunger imposes.
In South Africa, at least 3 million people under the age of 15 are suffering from malnutrition.
The 1999 national food consumption survey in South Africa showed that 10% of children in rural areas consumed wild leaves/spinach.
Furthermore children with home gardens have higher vitamin and mineral intakes than those without home gardens.
The use of indigenous plants as leaf vegetable is a common practice in Africa.
Amaranth is one of such well-known vegetables among the indigents of South Africa.
Surveys were conducted at two Districts (Capricorn and Vhembe) of the Limpopo Province.
The aim was to determine current production levels of amaranth, explore opportunity for commercialization and investigate the extent of utilization of the crop.
A total of 60 households participated in the surveys, with two communities selected per District.
A structured questionnaire was used for the collection of information on amaranth.
The majority of the households still collect amaranth from the wild (97% in the Capricorn District and 100% in the Vhembe District). Among the households 98% use amaranth as a leaf vegetable, others as livestock feed and snuff.
Most of the households indicated their willingness to grow amaranth for consumption purpose while less than 40% of the households expressed willingness to grow amaranth for income generation purposes.
Some of the reasons given were; lack of knowledge about the possibility for marketing the crop, lack of required production skills and lack of seeds.
Publication
Authors
V.I. Ayodele, M.B. Makaleka, P. Chaminuka, L.M. Nchabeleng
Keywords
indigenous vegetable, households, food security, amaranth
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