Leafy Green Vegetables in African Food, Health and Wealth: Part I.

Patrick Maundu, a Kenyan ethno botanist estimates that there are more than 45,000 species of plants in Sub-Saharan Africa, of which about 1,000 can be eaten as green leafy vegetables. The problem currently facing the continent is that the knowledge is passed through the generations with little documentation. The available documentation faces lack of uniformity due to the use of many dialects that offer descriptions of similar products in different names. This is a hurdle that has resulted in making some species apparently unknown and may lead to some species falling into disuse or simply being lost.

Scope: A vegetable may be roots, stems, tubers, leaf bases, leaf petioles, entire leaves, mature or immature fruit and flower parts, that can be eaten. Green leafy vegetables have played a role in the diets in all parts of the world but in Africa, they have a major significance in the nutritional and medicinal aspects of human welfare. In his studies on the relationships between plants and people, Patrick Maundu observed that many species of leafy vegetables that are part of traditional diets have not been fully exploited. These include vegetables such as African nightshades, amaranth, bush okra, bitter leaf, baobab leaf (as dry ground leaf), cassava leaf, calalu, (in East Africa known as ‘mchicha or sukuma wiki’ cowpea leaf, crotalaria, East African spinach, Ethiopian kale, fluted gourd leaf, jute, okra, pumpkin leaf, red sorrel, water spinach, and spider plant.

Almost all are good sources of micronutrients including iron, selenium and zinc, as well as vitamins A, B complex, C and E and fibre that give bulk. Some are excellent protein sources and when combined with other foods provide a balanced nutrition. Notable example is Amaranth that has more iron, calcium, and vitamin A, than the non-indigenous species like lettuce, spinach or green cabbage.

The African indigenous plants used as green leafy vegetables are also cultivated for other uses, for example, cowpeas (main food is the seeds), cassava (main food is the root), potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, young guard, cucumber and germinating coconuts. Some wild plant species are harvested for their edible green leafy vegetables.

The African Experience and food security:

Many of the tropical plants produce leaves throughout the year in moderate and even in low rainfall. The constant supply of leaves offers nutritional continuity.

In drier conditions, some drought resistant plants such as cassava continue to retain edible leaves, becoming a source of food.

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