506
A. Vushe
from other legumes like soybean and cowpea (Murevanhema and Jideani 2013). The
crop is underutilized because of its “hard-to-cook” (HTC) quality in combination
with inadequate processing techniques (Mubaiwa et al. 2017). Further research may
provide cost-effective methods to optimize farming and food-processing techniques
at industrial scale. As a drought-tolerant crop that is relatively resistant to disease
and pests, the bambara groundnut can be a new product for the food industry that
can contribute to fighting malnutrition in disadvantaged communities (Murevanhema
and Jideani 2013) or even stock feed manufacturing. Pilot experiments are also being
conducted on commercializing field production, processing, and marketing of other
indigenous plants crops, such as Colocasia esculenta (dumbbell yams), Cucumis
metuliferus (horned melon), and Cucumis Africanus (African spiked cucumber)
that may improve national food security and unlock new revenue streams that may
economically empower small-scale farmers in Africa.
African indigenous fruit trees with similar potential are Strychnos spinosa
(monkey oranges), Sclerocarya birrea (marula), Lannea microcarpa (tree grapes),
and many others. These trees can be found in sub-Saharan Africa around villages,
and their potential for commercial production on large- and small-scale farms may
have to be evaluated. Moreover, the leaves, bark, roots, and fruits of these trees have
various medicinal properties, and they can also be used for timber. Above all, they are
hardy and drought-tolerant, and are often undamaged by natural savannah fires (Styslinger 2011). Research and development are needed to identify and select desirable
and more nutritious varieties of these trees. There is potential to plant these trees on
deforested rural and peri-urban areas to conserve soil and water resources, enhance
food security, and provide input for industrial production of wine and beverages,
which may provide new flavors and new products untainted by chemicals and with
low environmental costs. Research must optimize agronomic practices, breeding, and
artificial selection to attain maximum yield and financial sustainability. Innovative,
low capital-intensive, and commercially viable agricultural enterprises, adapted to
African climatic conditions, are required for low-income rural communities, so that
they can enter a niche in the global organic agriculture market.
Farmers in some parts of the Sahara Desert and in the Namib Desert in Namibia
and South Africa produce dates at a commercial scale, while relatively wetter regions
of sub-Saharan Africa use date trees as ornamental plants or as wild vegetation. South
Africans have demonstrated that commercialized production of juices and wine from
marula fruits is possible. The marula, monkey orange, tree grape, dates, and other
indigenous trees may be the appropriate tree types for planting in degraded lands
of Africa as part of a reforestation program to counter the increasing aridity and
to build and diversify income, and hence increase resilience to impacts of climate
change. Successful cultivation may require adoption of scientifically proven intercropping techniques that optimize yield, diversity, and environmentally friendly crop
protection techniques for exotic and indigenous fruit trees.
A. Vushe
from other legumes like soybean and cowpea (Murevanhema and Jideani 2013). The
crop is underutilized because of its “hard-to-cook” (HTC) quality in combination
with inadequate processing techniques (Mubaiwa et al. 2017). Further research may
provide cost-effective methods to optimize farming and food-processing techniques
at industrial scale. As a drought-tolerant crop that is relatively resistant to disease
and pests, the bambara groundnut can be a new product for the food industry that
can contribute to fighting malnutrition in disadvantaged communities (Murevanhema
and Jideani 2013) or even stock feed manufacturing. Pilot experiments are also being
conducted on commercializing field production, processing, and marketing of other
indigenous plants crops, such as Colocasia esculenta (dumbbell yams), Cucumis
metuliferus (horned melon), and Cucumis Africanus (African spiked cucumber)
that may improve national food security and unlock new revenue streams that may
economically empower small-scale farmers in Africa.
African indigenous fruit trees with similar potential are Strychnos spinosa
(monkey oranges), Sclerocarya birrea (marula), Lannea microcarpa (tree grapes),
and many others. These trees can be found in sub-Saharan Africa around villages,
and their potential for commercial production on large- and small-scale farms may
have to be evaluated. Moreover, the leaves, bark, roots, and fruits of these trees have
various medicinal properties, and they can also be used for timber. Above all, they are
hardy and drought-tolerant, and are often undamaged by natural savannah fires (Styslinger 2011). Research and development are needed to identify and select desirable
and more nutritious varieties of these trees. There is potential to plant these trees on
deforested rural and peri-urban areas to conserve soil and water resources, enhance
food security, and provide input for industrial production of wine and beverages,
which may provide new flavors and new products untainted by chemicals and with
low environmental costs. Research must optimize agronomic practices, breeding, and
artificial selection to attain maximum yield and financial sustainability. Innovative,
low capital-intensive, and commercially viable agricultural enterprises, adapted to
African climatic conditions, are required for low-income rural communities, so that
they can enter a niche in the global organic agriculture market.
Farmers in some parts of the Sahara Desert and in the Namib Desert in Namibia
and South Africa produce dates at a commercial scale, while relatively wetter regions
of sub-Saharan Africa use date trees as ornamental plants or as wild vegetation. South
Africans have demonstrated that commercialized production of juices and wine from
marula fruits is possible. The marula, monkey orange, tree grape, dates, and other
indigenous trees may be the appropriate tree types for planting in degraded lands
of Africa as part of a reforestation program to counter the increasing aridity and
to build and diversify income, and hence increase resilience to impacts of climate
change. Successful cultivation may require adoption of scientifically proven intercropping techniques that optimize yield, diversity, and environmentally friendly crop
protection techniques for exotic and indigenous fruit trees.