Takemore Chagomoka

Nutritional Evaluation of Five African Indigenous Vegetables

Abstract The promotion and consumption of indigenous vegetables could help mitigate food insecurity and alleviate malnutrition in developing countries. In this respect, 17 accessions (candidate breeding lines that have not yet officially been released) of five African indigenous vegetables: amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus), nightshade (Solanum scabrum), African eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum), jute mallow (Corchorus olitorius) and okra (Abelmoschus callei), previously selected for their superior agronomic and horticultural traits, were evaluated in Cameroon for minerals (Ca, Mg, K, P, Zn and Fe), proteins, and carotenoids content. Nutrient content differed significantly (P<0.001) between cultivars. Amaranth (especially line AM-NKgn) had the highest Ca, Mg, and Zn content in comparison to other genotypes studied. Nightshade had the highest K and Fe content. The highest K and Fe levels were found in nightshades BG24 and SS52, respectively. Nightshade had the highest level of protein, especially line BFS1. The highest amount of carotenoids was identified in the eggplant variety Oforiwa. The study revealed that these vegetables are important sources of some vital nutrients. Increased production and consumption of these nutrient-rich vegetables will help reduce the nutrition-related disorders in Africa.

Food coping strategies in northern Ghana. A socio-spatial analysis along the urban–rural continuum

BackgroundFood insecurity is a worrying challenge worldwide, with sub-Sahara Africa most affected. Literature reveals that in developing countries, food insecurity is a largely ‘‘managed process’’, meaning people are active participants in responding to the risks they face in life. This paper focuses on how households cope with food shortages and how these food coping strategies vary along the urban–rural continuum. A transect approach was used to guide data collection in and around the city of Tamale in northern Ghana. A total of 19 Focus Group discussions, having eight participants each (four women, four men), were conducted between March and May 2014. Additionally, three qualitative in-depth interviews were also conducted, one each in the urban, periurban and rural area.ResultsIn periurban and rural areas, gathering of wild food and selling of charcoal was widely practised, while in urban areas, most households tended to reduce the number of meals as a more frequent coping strategy. The study identified five coping strategies along the urban–rural continuum as the most severe in times of food insecurity, namely skipping a whole day without food, borrowing, buying food on credit, consuming seed stock and restricting adult intake in favour of children. Hunting, consuming less preferred food, taking occasional jobs and engaging in small trading were considered as not severe.ConclusionsStudy results reveal that food coping strategies vary from one spatial entity to another in terms of frequency, severity and coping strategy indices along the urban–rural continuum. This information is useful for indicators to predict crisis (early warning), to understand shortfalls in access to adequate food (assessment), to allocate resources (targeting) or to track the impact of interventions (monitoring and evaluation).

Assessing the sustainability of vegetable production practices in northern Ghana

ABSTRACT Urban vegetable production is an intensive agricultural strategy through which urban dwellers secure income and improve their livelihoods. An ethnographic study was conducted in Tamale, Northern Ghana, to understand whether vegetable gardening was a sustainable form of intensification. The study used an updated version of the Food and Agricultural Organization’s International Framework for Evaluating Sustainable Land Management. Accordingly, qualitative data were collected on the security and access to land, political acceptability and human and environmental health implications of urban patch farming. Changes between 2008 and 2014 in the spatial area of the vegetable sites were measured. Cabbage farmer incomes were quantified. The study found that urbanization has prompted an increase in the cultivation of highly profitable vegetables like cabbage. However, they are irrigated with grey and waste water while eaten raw. This, and the use of pesticides in high dosages, poses health and environmental hazards. Industrial growth has reduced the area of open space urban agriculture by 8.7% between 2008 and 2014. Farmers cope with this by cultivating on interstitial spaces and moving to periurban fringes. There, farmers develop institutional liaisons to gain access to intensification technologies and commercialize their production. This production system is dynamic but not yet sustainable.

Identification of okra (Abelmoschus spp.) accessions resistant to aphid (Aphis gossypii Glover) in Cameroon

Okra germplasm collected from different locations around the world were screened at AVRDC(The World Vegetable Center) in 2011 and 2012 to identify germplasm resistant to the melon aphid (Aphis gossypii) for use in sub-Saharan Africa. A total of 260 okra accessions and varieties were screened (150 at AVRDC Taiwan and 110 at AVRDC Cameroon), which included four varieties commercially available in Cameroon. The experiments were conducted under natural infestation in Shanhua, Taiwan, and at Yaoundé, Cameroon. Since the preliminary screening trials were conducted in Taiwan and Cameroon, the aphid populations in these two countries were compared. A total of 60 insects was used for cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The nucleotide sequences of all the populations showed 100 % similarity and the phylogenetic analysis confirmed the genetic similarity of A. gossypii in Taiwan and Cameroon. Results of the screening trials showed that three accessions (VI033805, VI036213 and VI051114) were resistant to A. gossypii. The basis of resistance of the three okra accessions was elucidated by studying their biochemical and biophysical properties. There was no significant difference between the susceptible and resistant okra accessions in terms of leaf tannins, free amino acids, total sugars and total phenols. Only total nitrogen was significantly different between the susceptible and the two resistant okra accessions with the lowest aphid infestation (VI033805 and VI036213). Thus, higher leaf nitrogen content seems to favour the aphid infestation on okra. For physical parameters, there was no significant difference among the accessions in trichome density of bottom and middle leaves, and leaf toughness. However, trichome density in the younger leaves of resistant VI033805 was significantly higher than susceptible VI057245. Studies on settling behaviour showed that aphids did not discriminate between the susceptible and resistant okra accessions for oviposition and feeding 72 h after release.

Women’s dietary diversity scores and childhood anthropometric measurements as indices of nutrition insecurity along the urban-rural continuum in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Background Malnutrition is still prevalent worldwide, and its severity, which differs between regions and countries, has led to international organisations proposing its inclusion in the global development framework that will succeed the Millennium Development Goals (post-2015 framework). In Sub-Saharan Africa, malnutrition is particularly severe, among women and children under 5 years. The prevalence of malnutrition has been reported worldwide, differing from region to region and country to country. Nevertheless, little is known about how malnutrition differs between multiple locations along an urban–rural continuum. Objective A survey was carried out in and around Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, between August and September 2014 to map household nutrition insecurity along the urban–rural continuum, using a transect approach to guide the data collection. Design Transects of 70 km long and 2 km wide directed radially from the city centre outwards were laid, and data were collected from randomly selected households along these transects. Womens dietary diversity scores (WDDSs) were calculated from a sample of 179 women of reproductive age (15–49 years) from randomly selected households. Additionally, anthropometric data (height/length and weight) of 133 children under 5 years of age were collected along the same transects for the computation of anthropometric indices. Results We found that relative proportions of the nutrition indices such as stunting, wasting and underweight varied across the urban–rural continuum. Rural households (15%) had the highest relative proportion of WDDS compared with urban households (11%) and periurban households (8%). There was a significant association between children under 5 years’ nutritional status (wasting, stunting and underweight) and spatial location (p=0.023). The level of agricultural activities is a possible indicator of wasting in children aged 6–59 months (p=0.032). Conclusion Childhood undernutrition certainly has a spatial dimension that is highly influenced by the degree of urbanity, which should be taken into consideration in policy formulation and implementation.

Contribution of urban and periurban agriculture to household food and nutrition security along the urban–rural continuum in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

There is growing evidence of urban poverty in and around cities in sub-Saharan Africa in the form of food and nutrition insecurity. Although many studies have been done across sub-Saharan Africa on urban agriculture, food and nutrition insecurity, little is known about the association of urban agriculture to household food and nutrition insecurity along the urban–rural continuum, especially in West African cities. Therefore, a survey was carried out between August and September 2014 in and around Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), using a transect approach to guide the data collection. The purpose of this study was to understand the dynamics of urban, periurban and rural agriculture and its association with household food and nutrition insecurity. A total of 240 households participated in the survey. From these households, data were collected on 179 women of reproductive age (15–49 yr) and 133 children under the age of 5 yr to compute Womens Dietary Diversity Scores (WDDS) and other anthropometric indices. The results of this study provide a general picture of crop production which is inclined to subsistence and income generation. Households in rural and periurban areas were more engaged in crop and livestock production compared with their urban area counterparts. Households in periurban areas had the highest relative proportion (54%) of food insecurity (household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS) > 11), compared with urban areas (39%) and rural areas (45%). At the same time the periurban households had the highest relative proportion of stunting and wasting prevalence compared with urban and rural households. Households in the rural areas had the highest dietary diversity (WDDS ≥ 6), compared with periurban and urban households. Households keeping livestock significantly experienced less wasting (weight-for-height index (WHZ)) (coef = −0.15; P = 0.008) by a factor of 0.15, and overweight (body mass index (BMI)-for-age (BAZ)) (coef = −0.12; P = 0.015) by a factor of 0.12 compared with households not doing livestock keeping. Households involved in crop production significantly experienced more food insecurity, HFIAS (coef. = 2.55; P = 0.042) by a factor of 2.55 compared with households without crop production. The complexity of periurban areas coupled with the scourge of food and nutrition insecurity will require more periurban agriculture and food policy consideration.