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The dietary shift from indigenous and traditional plants (ITPs) to cash crops and exotic plant food sources increases the risk of malnutrition and other nutrition-related non-communicable diseases, especially in poor rural communities. Farm communities in South Africa have been associated with poor nutritional status and extreme poverty. ITPs have...
Citations
... This is further exacerbated by most exotic crops being easily accessible in markets whilst indigenous crops are rarely sold. Although various initiatives have changed consumers' perceptions of indigenous crops, exotic crops are still far more popular [54]. Perceptions of indigenous crops are hypothesised to have a negative or positive influence on household food security. ...
Indigenous crops have been proposed as part of a solution for household food security and sustainable farming systems. However, they have been overlooked and underutilised by households and farmers despite their potential contribution to household food security. The objective of this paper was to determine the association of socio-economic factors and indigenous crops with the household food security of farming households. About 260 farming households were selected using a simple random sampling procedure. The food security status was measured through the use of the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). The Chi-square test and extended ordered probit regression model assessed the relationship of socio-economic factors and indigenous crops with household food security status. The results from the HFIAS showed that farming households were largely in the mildly and moderately food-insecure categories, with 34.2% and 36.2% of the sampled farmers found in these categories, respectively. The Chi-square test showed a statistically significant relationship between food security status and socio-economic factors. Young men and everyone were perceived to be the ones likely to consume indigenous crops. Consumption of indigenous crops was perceived to be associated with food security. The results also showed that farming experience is likely to positively contribute to the food security status of the farming households. Selling indigenous crops in a formal market is perceived to be associated with food security compared to selling in an informal market. This study concludes that consuming indigenous crops is likely associated with improved food security. Identifying an appropriate market for sales of indigenous crops is imperative. Government, extension officers, and nutritionists must conduct training workshops to encourage households to grow, market and buy indigenous crops. Government and policymakers need to include indigenous crops in the national food and nutrition security policy and create formal markets for indigenous crops.
... A decline in the knowledge and collective skills needed to identify and prepare traditional foods, and a growing ignorance about their existence among young people (Keller et al., 2005;van der Hoeven et al., 2013) has been reported. Fibri and Frøst (2019) conducted a study of consumer perception which aimed to determine consumer perception of selected Indonesian traditional food products in their original and modernised versions. ...
... Sensory testing with children can provide valuable data in basic research or product development. A study by van der Hoeven et al. (2013) reported that the African leafy vegetables dishes were evaluated by children (n = 80) from Grades 2 to 4 attending the selected schools on sensory attributes in order to ensure adherence during the entire feeding period. ...
The study aimed to develop innovative vegetable dishes using three indigenous crops to enhance consumption by children. A quantitative approach using traditional preservation, experimental and laboratory-based methodologies for development of recipes and the nutrient analysis was used. This involved developing the dishes Amaranthus cabbage, Bidens dumpling, and Fishpea. Nutrient analysis was done at the Aspirata food and nutrient analysis laboratory in Cape town. Sensory evaluation results suggest that all three dishes were acceptable and liked by children for all three attributes of colour, taste, and smell, with Amaranthus cabbage as the most highly acceptable. The results on the palatability of the three dishes using open-ended questions affirm that more children had positive comments on the dishes À which concurs with the quantitative data. The findings emphasize the importance of culinary services where innovation, imitation, and diffusion are still in a development phase especially for indigenous foods.
... Cultural differences emerged as more black respondents could identify more indigenous foods. Indigenous and traditional foods and dishes are passed down over generations or have been consumed for many generations [24,25]. Therefore, most of the foods in question could have constituted a larger part of the African diet since people in rural areas have relied on IFs for many years [26]. ...
... Indeed, this study shows that one of the common reasons for consuming indigenous foods by all races was for health and nutrition; 17% of the black respondents, followed by Indian, coloured and white respondents, stated that they consumed indigenous foods for medicinal purposes. This is supported by the study conducted by Van der Hoeven in 2013 [25], who found that the knowledge of medicinal use and food preparation was significantly present in the community living deep within the village, whereas communities closer to urban areas (though still in a rural community) stated that they were unfamiliar with the use of these indigenous foods. ...
Urbanisation in South Africa has led to a nutritional transition from traditional diets (mainly based on indigenous foods) to a Western diet. Currently, the country is one of the most concerned about the prevalence of associated malnutrition and non-communicable diseases. One should, therefore, question the position of indigenous foods (IFs) in the population's eating habits since their nutritional and health value is known. This study aimed to collect updated data on South Africans' true awareness and consumption of indigenous foods, especially in the Gauteng region (the most urbanised province of the country). A quantitative cross-sectional research survey was conducted (n = 746). Among a list of 18 IFs, grain sorghum 32.4% (n = 242), marula 32% (n = 239), pearl millet 21.7% (n = 162), amadumbe 19.3% (n = 144) and cowpea 18.6% (n = 139) were the best known. However, the study noticed a maximum consumption of 19.3% (grain sorghum). Overall, this consumption was seasonal, and its level was significantly defined by race (p < 0.05). Black people consume more IFs compared to coloured people, Indian people and white people. Participants mostly consumed these foods for nutritional and health reasons and pointed out the problem of availability. "Poor image" was rated the lowest by all races (black 5.8%, coloured 4.2%, Indian 7.0% and white 4.1%) regarding the reasons for no or low consumption of IFs. Whatever the race, the desire to increase IF consumption was positive. The promotion of their integration into South African diets should, therefore, be considered as an intervention strategy.
... One of the most reported components influencing the promotion of IFPs is utilisation [4,7,11,44,48,49,51,55,57,[63][64][65][66]. According to a study conducted in Zimbabwe, edible plant components identified as significant food sources included edible fruits, leaves, and young shoots that may be cooked into vegetables; edible roots, tubers, and corns; edible inner bark; edible kernel; and fruit juices that can be brewed into beer [44]. ...
... A few studies [4,5,14,[44][45][46][47][48]51,65], which reported on IFs' preparation, claim that there are numerous ways to prepare and use IFPs. According to reports, cooking is the most popular method for preparing IFs to improve their digestibility and flavour [5]. ...
... Conversely, during the preparation phase, IFPs are combined with others. Most of the time, mixed plants are prepared as a single dish to reduce their bitterness and sliminess and increase their acceptability [51]. It is believed that combining IFPs in a meal increases the health benefits resulting from their synergistic complementarity in terms of nutritional and medicinal qualities. ...
Indigenous food plants provide various social functions; they are crucial to food supply diversification efforts, and they improve food and nutrition security. Research has shown that indigenous foods’ nutritional potential and advantages have yet to be adequately appreciated and explored. This systematic review discusses the various elements contributing to IF promotion, which may help increase their intake. Therefore, a systematic literature review was conducted to determine the availability, regularity of consumption, utilisation, preparation, harvesting, and preservation of indigenous foods. Additionally, this review details the knowledge, perceptions, and beliefs of IFs under these themes. The findings of this systematic review highlight the importance of promoting IFs through policies, the development of capabilities and skills, in-depth research, and an extensive indigenous food plant composition. The fact that Southern African populations do not value indigenous foods and their potential advantages appears to be a significant barrier. Furthermore, the younger generation has lost access to the older generations’ indigenous food knowledge. Thus, the preservation of indigenous food knowledge in books and continuing education of the younger generation about the importance of consuming indigenous foods and the nutrition content they contain may help with its uptake.
... Similarly, South African rural communities suffer from poor nutritional status and poverty (Omotayo et al., 2021). Traditional foods can significantly contribute to the alleviation of hunger and malnutrition (Van der Hoeven et al., 2013). ...
... Despite the potential benefits associated with traditional foods, there is evidence of a decline in their consumption in Africa (Akinola et al., 2020;Hlongwane et al., 2021;Van der Hoeven et al., 2013). In order to reverse the negative consumption trends of traditional food consumption in Africa, there is a need for an understanding of consumer related aspects of traditional food consumption. ...
The aim of this scoping review was to identify and consolidate existing empirical evidence on consumer behavior research regarding traditional foods in Africa, with a view to contributing to the advancement of further research in the area. More specifically, the study sought to map the extent of available evidence, establish the nature of research topics and identify theories and models upon which identified studies were based. While results showed a general scarcity of empirical studies on consumer behavior towards traditional foods in Africa, the last five years have recorded a sustained increase in research. Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya are the main contributors to this research. Most of the research focused on sensory attributes of traditional foods and how they were perceived, evaluated and liked/disliked by consumers. There was also significant research exploring cognitive aspects underlying consumer behavior. However, the use of established theory or models in framing existing research was minimal.
... However, people can be reluctant to walk long distances to gather these vegetables from the wild, thus contributing to a reduced use of indigenous vegetables (Dweba & Mearns, 2011). Most indigenous vegetables are seasonally available which leads to a reduced frequency of consumption as these vegetables are not available, particularly in drought periods (van der Hoeven et al., 2013). ...
... On the other hand, Kansiime et al. (2018) describe these vegetables as African indigenous vegetables (AIVs). Van der Hoeven et al. (2013) explain that many rural households have used ILVs as a major source of food in recent years. However, the existence of commercial/conventional vegetables has caused lower production and consumption of ILVs, which has led to changes in the dietary patterns of many rural households (Van der Hoeven et al., 2013). ...
... Van der Hoeven et al. (2013) explain that many rural households have used ILVs as a major source of food in recent years. However, the existence of commercial/conventional vegetables has caused lower production and consumption of ILVs, which has led to changes in the dietary patterns of many rural households (Van der Hoeven et al., 2013). Furthermore, Seeiso and Materecha (2014) claim that in South Africa, ILVs are underutilised and have received little attention from stakeholders in the fight against malnutrition and to improve food security. ...
... Although ILVs have been found to be good as conventional vegetables that provide essential nutrients to sustain human health (Van der Hoeven et al., 2013), the production of these vegetables is limited to specific communities of the Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal provinces in South Africa, with inferior production in some districts of the Eastern Cape Province (Uusiku et al., 2010;Mayekiso et al., 2017). This trend seems to be continuous even now since there is a notable decline in the production of ILVs, particularly in rural settings (Maseko et al., 2017;Nyaruwata, 2019). ...
This study aimed to analyse the determinants of Indigenous Leafy Vegetables (ILVs) and their contribution to the household income of rural households in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The study covered three district municipalities within the province. Multistage Sampling and Proportional Random Sampling techniques were used to select rural households, with the household heads as the unit of analysis. A sample size of 407 households was considered for the study and a questionnaire was used to collect data. Regression estimates discovered that the amount spent on ILV production and the price of ILV per kg positively influence the income generated from ILVs.
... This is evident in that many people at a household level suffer from malnutrition and hidden hunger. This has resulted in micronutrient deficiency diseases caused by hidden hunger [3]. According to Uauy et al. [4], 204 million people in developing countries suffer from micronutrient deficiency diseases. ...
... In addition, Mavengahama et al. [6] alluded that the inclusion of ILVs in the market as mainstream foods will increase their acceptance among urban and rural consumers. There are many studies that were conducted on the consumer acceptance of indigenous leafy vegetables, including studies by Van der Hoeven et al. [3], Sarah et al. [12], and Gido et al. [13]. On the other hand, other scholars such as Shayanowako, Morrissey [14], Mwadzingeni et al. [15] and Raheem et al. [16] have investigated the contribution of indigenous leafy vegetables to household food security. ...
In the past decades, indigenous leafy vegetables (ILVs) have played a significant role in household food security, especially in poor rural households. However, ILVs have been replaced by exotic cash crops in the contemporary world. This study was conducted to assess the consumption of indigenous leafy vegetables and their contribution to household food security of households in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. The study used secondary data collected by the South African Vulnerability Assessment Committee in 2016. A total of 1520 respondents were selected using a multistage sampling method. The results from descriptive statistics revealed that most consumers did not produce ILVs but consumed them. Meanwhile, a small number of people produced ILVs yet did not consume them. The results from the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) showed that a large proportion of the population experienced moderate food security while some of the individuals within the population experienced severe food insecurity. An endogenous switching regression model (ESRM) was employed to analyze the impact of the consumption of ILVs on household food security. The results revealed that only a few variables of the consumption of ILVs were significant and positive (household size, wealth index, and ‘if the disabled person receives grants’). As a result, the consumption of ILVs had a minimal impact on the household food security of the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. The findings further revealed that age, gender, and education variables negatively influenced the consumption of ILVs. Thus, the recommended programs must be established to educate people about the importance of consuming ILVs. Agricultural extension services must equally promote the consumption of exotic cash crops and ILVs. Lastly, policies can contribute by increasing the diversity of ILVs left at retail outlets through diverse production.
... There are conflicting study reports, but they all support the idea that eating these traditional vegetables may provide medical benefits [10]. According to studies, ILVs contains carotenoids and a diet rich in carotenoids helps prevent the onset of some cancers, including lung, skin, uterine, cervical and gastrointestinal cancers, as well as macular degeneration, cataracts and other conditions linked to oxidation and free radical damage [220]. In addition, ILVs have the potential to promote healthy immune systems in reducing the risks associated with blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases [221,222]. ...
Indigenous leafy vegetables (ILVs) play a pivotal role in sustaining the lives of many people of low socioeconomic status who reside in rural areas of most developing countries. Such ILVs contribute to food security since they withstand harsher weather and soil conditions than their commercial counterparts and supply important nutrients such as dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals. Furthermore, ILVs contain bioactive components such as phenolic compounds, flavonoids, dietary fibre, carotene content and vitamin C that confer health benefits on consumers. Several studies have demonstrated that regular and adequate consumption of vegetables reduces risks of chronic conditions such as diabetes, cancer, metabolic disorders such as obesity in children and adults, as well as cardiovascular disease. However, consumption of ILVs is very low globally as they are associated with unbalanced and poor diets, with being food for the poor and with possibly containing toxic heavy metals. Therefore, this paper reviews the role of ILVs as food security crops, the biodiversity of ILVs, the effects of processing on the bioactivity of ILVs, consumer acceptability of food derived from ILVs, potential toxicity of some ILVs and the potential role ILVs play in the future of eating.
... Thus, D4R does not distinguish the so-called "famine" foods, which are consumed in periods when more desirable food alternatives are not available (e.g., Faidherbia albida, which can provide edible products for humans, but these are only consumed during famine periods, when alternative products are not available). Food choices are shaped by the food environment but are also affected by individual-based motives , so they are closely linked to highly variable and context-specific physiological and sociocultural (Dansi et al., 2008;Ghosh et al., 2021) and generational aspects (van der Hoeven et al., 2013). Including these elements in the D4R tool would quickly become overly complex, making it difficult to obtain robust and complete data on all edible tree products. ...
Societal Impact Statement
Modern food systems push agriculture to focus on a small number of commercial crops, while there is a very large diversity of untapped edible plants that could be used to address food security and nutrition. Poor and monotonous diets are closely linked to the complex burden of multiple forms of malnutrition and dietary risk. In some contexts, such as West Africa, micronutrient deficiency risks are particularly pronounced. Hence, there is an urgent need to provide people with healthy diets supported by sustainable food systems. Within this context, using nutrition‐sensitive forest landscape restoration to combat environmental degradation could contribute towards ensuring the year‐round availability of nutritious tree‐based food.
Summary
Diverse diets are important to deliver adequate amounts of the nutrients essential to human health. The consumption of a diversity of food groups is challenging in sub‐Saharan Africa. Trees play an important role in the direct provision of nutritious food items. Forest landscape restoration presents an opportunity to reverse the loss of useful trees, due to degradation, and increase representation of food tree species in the landscape.
Here we focused on characterizing the contributions that different food products from trees can make to improving diet diversity in Burkina Faso. A scoring system was developed, based on seasonal availability of edible products and food groups covered, and was integrated into a freely available decision‐making tool that enables carrying out context‐specific, optimal choices of tree species to be considered in forest landscape restoration.
Our inventory included 56 food tree species, largely Fabaceae (18 species), providing 81 edible products, mainly fruits (supplied by 79% of tree species), followed by seeds (52%) and leaves (41%). The main food groups represented are ‘Other fruits’ (other than vitamin A‐rich fruits) (covering 52% of the edible products) and dark‐green leafy vegetables (29%). About two thirds of the species listed produce more than a single edible product, a few up to four. A total of 11 species supplied edible products throughout the year.
Our results clearly show that seasonal scarcity of food and nutrients in Burkina Faso can be partly mitigated by consuming edible tree products. The methodology can be easily scaled to other geographies.
