African leafy vegetables in South Africa

Abstract

In this article the term 'African leafy vegetables' was adopted to refer to the collective of plant species which are used as leafy vegetables and which are referred to as morogo or imifino by African people in South Africa. Function is central in this indigenous concept, which is subject to spatial and temporal variability in terms of plant species that are included as a result of diversity in ecology, culinary repertoire and change over time. As a result, the concept embraces indigenous, indigenised and recently introduced leafy vegetable species but this article is concerned mainly with the indigenous and indigenised species. In South Africa, the collection of these two types of leafy vegetables from the wild, or from cultivated fields where some of them grow as weeds, has a long history that has been intimately linked to women and their traditional livelihood tasks. Among poor people in remote rural areas the use of these types of leafy vegetables is still common but nationwide there is evidence of decline, particularly in urban areas. Cultivation of indigenous or indigenised leafy vegetables is restricted to a narrow group of primarily indigenised species in South Africa. Seven groups of indigenous or indigenised African leafy vegetables that are important in South Africa were given special attention and their local nomenclature, ecology, use and cultivation are discussed.

Linolenic acid and folate in wild-growing African dark leafy vegetables (morogo)

“…South African food composition data (SAFCOD) tables (10) report the folic acid concentrations in raw samples of these vegetables respectively as 64, 346 and 141 mg/100 g fresh weight. The folic acid concentrations in raw leaves of other morogo vegetables such as amadumbe, black jack and nightshade (7) are respectively 126, 351 and 404 mg/100 g fresh Sample from Rustenburg*, Vhembe** and Capricorn***.…”

“…Wild-growing DGLV, such as amaranth, spider flower and cowpea, feature prominently in this type of diet (7,18) . DGLV are important sources of food folate (11,12) .…”

“…Sanders (24) maintains that, consumed in normal amounts, DGLV would contribute little to the dietary intake of 18 : 3n-3 because of the overall low fat content. In rural settings, morogo vegetables are prepared mixed with other plant foods, including groundnuts and traditional legumes such as cowpeas, which are expected to contribute to the overall 18 : 3n-3 intake (7,10,20,23,25) . Sample from Rustenburg*, Vhembe** and Capricorn***.…”

“…Currently, dietary transition from a traditional low-fat, plant protein-rich rural diet towards a high-fat, animal protein-rich Westernised diet receives much attention as a factor contributing to the increased occurrence of chronic diseases of lifestyle in urbanised black South Africans (5,6) . In rural diets, a variety of cultivated and/or wild-growing African dark green leafy vegetables (morogo) supplement traditional maize-based staples (7) . Concerning micronutrient levels, morogo vegetables compare well with spinach, Swiss chard and cabbage (8)(9)(10) .…”

African leafy vegetables consumed by households in the Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal provinces in South Africa

“…38 This study was done during the rainy summer months, as most of the wild-growing species that are consumed grow in summer. 39 A study previously done at the rural KZN site showed that consumption of imifino (consumed during the first and last quarter of the year; summer) and spinach, mostly Swiss chard (consumed during the third quarter of the year; winter) complemented each other. 40 The authors therefore concluded that imifino should be promoted together with consumption of locally produced or commercially available spinach (a cool weather crop) to ensure a year-round consumption of darkgreen leafy vegetables to ensure a sustainable delivery of nutrients to these communities.…”