AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
DCL
Given the superior nutritional content of vegetables and their fewer demands on water resources during the growing period than staple foods like maize and wheat, it's a wonder a project like this has not been done before.
The World Vegetable Center is building a sustainable seed system for vegetables in Africa. Why vegetables, rather than the much-talked about staple foods like maize, wheat, and rice? Because vegetables are less vulnerable to drought: they have shorter growing periods, which means they are better able to maximize scarce supplies of water and soil nutrients, whereas wheat and maize need much larger quantities of water and fertilizer.
Also importantly, the starchy staple foods that often fill hungry stomachs in developing countries (and in developed countries, but for different reasons) are devoid of much nutrition. They have calories, yes, but are low in protein, vitamin and mineral content. The hope is for indigenous vegetables in particular to become a regular part of the diet, so that vegetables often seen as weeds are instead viewed as the highly nutritious foods they are.
Community involvement
The Worldwatch Institute's Danielle Nierenberg blogged from sub-Saharan Africa about the World Vegetable Center, a project of the Taiwan-based Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center, and emphasized its integrative, community-based approach: the center has invited farmers into the planning and research process. By interacting with and asking what farmers need, the center can identify what seeds will be suited best for local needs.
Not forgetting the crucial element of follow-through, the center also focuses on post-harvest sustainability: it works to identify appropriate technologies for preserving the harvest, much of which is lost when perishable items are not properly cared for. There is also an outreach program to educate communities on how to cook foods to maximize the nutritional value: usually a lesson to simply reduce the cooking time, which allows vegetables to retain more of their nutrients—and saves fuel (and fuel costs) as well.
