Until the latter part of the 20th century, local leafy vegetables were an important part of the African diet. Then they fell out of fashion. The conditions under which these indigenous vegetables were grown and sold did little to help encourage consumption, with consumers branding them dirty and unhygienic. Faced with a lack of demand, farmers stopped growing them.
Between 1996 and 2004, Bioversity International worked with partners in Kenya to reverse this trend under the African Leafy Vegetables (ALV) Programme. The Programme worked with farmers, NGOs, universities, hospitals, national research institutes and others across sub-Saharan Africa to improve livelihoods and health by increasing the production and consumption of these affordable sources of nutrition.
Studying the impact
Although there was evidence of the ALV Programme’s success, a formal impact assessment study was also carried out. The study shows that the ALV Programme has increased the number of households growing African leafy vegetables by almost a third in rural areas, and more than doubled the number of households growing them in Peri-urban areas. Nearly two thirds of households increased their incomes from growing African leafy vegetables, while nearly half have increased their consumption of the vegetables. Households used the extra income primarily to buy extra food and to pay for their children’s education.
During an interview with a Chinese news agency, Patrick Maundu, a Bioversity ethnobotanist, notes that even though the preference for exotic vegetables like cabbage, Swiss chard and kale still exists, the high prevalence of minerals and vitamins in traditional vegetables is attracting consumers.
Read more:
- Impact Assessment Discussion Paper – African Leafy Vegetables (16 pages)
- Impact Assessment Brief – African Leafy Vegetables (4 pages)
- Back by Popular Demand: The benefits of traditional vegetables – One Community’s Story
Photo credit: Bioversity International