AFRICAN LEAFY
VEGETABLES: A LOOK AT
PROMOTION EFFORTS IN
KENYA
By
Maryam Imbumi,
Kenya Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge
(KENRIK), National Museums of Kenya.
P.O. Box 40658, Nairobi, Kenya. Tel: +254 20
3741673. E-mail: mimbumi@kenrik.org
Survey of Economic Plants of Arid and Semi – Arid
Lands, SEPASAL

TRADITIONAL LEAFY VEGETABLES OF KENYA
INTRODUCTION
• Close to 1000 species Commonly used vegetables
1. Amaranthus dubius in Africa are used as
2. Amaranthus hybridus
3. Amaranthus lividus/blitum leafy vegetable but
4. Basella alba key constitute only
5. Cleome gynandra about 5%.
6. Corchorus olitorius and C. trilocularis • About 210 species
7. Crotalaria brevidens and C. ochroleuca recorded in Kenya
8. Cucurbita maxima/moschata
• About 20 of these are 9. Cucurbita ficifolia (Kahurura)
10. Launaea cornuta (Mutsunga) the key ones:
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

Solanum americanum
Solanum scabrum
Solanum villosum
Urtica massaica
Vigna unguiculata

Solanum americanum

Solanum villosum

Solanum scabrum

Amaranthus blitum (A. lividus)

Amaranthus hybridus
Amaranthus dubius

Spiderplant [Cleome gynandra]

Launaea cornuta

Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata]

Cucurbita moschata

Cucurbita maxima

Cucurbita ficifolia

Crotalaria brevidens

Crotalaria ochroleuca

Corchorus olitorius

Brassica carinata

Basella alba

Stinging nettle [Urtica masaica]

Introduction cont..
High vegetable diversity is attributed to:
• high cultural diversity (55 community groups, each with its own set of vegetables) • High biological diversity (7100 native plant species - the result of varied habitats)

Cultural influence and vegetable markets • People tend to buy vegetables that are familiar to them
• Nairobi has most community groups represented • Each of these communities is ready market for specific local vegetables known to them

Buying is influenced by ethnicity/ culture
Mitoo

Mabaki common comfrey
(Symphytum
officinale

Mutsunga

Diversity in vegetables
The Mijikenda of coastal Kenya have documented about 100 species of leafy vegetables which the community uses
• Vegetables are always cooked in a mixture

Local vegetables in Kenya have been neglected- but not any more! • Traditional vegetables have been produced by small-scale farmers.
• Mainly by elderly women as part of their tradition • Many are picked from the wild

Processing Cleome
Processing Cleome gynandra sseedsin gynandra eeds in rural Kisii, ,Kenyaa rural Kisii Keny

Raising the profile of local vegetables in Kenya
• In the past, emphasis was on the more commercialized species such as cabbage. Sold mainly by men.
• Research focused on such crops
• Extension focused on such crops
• Local vegetables were for the poor, and ‘not so modernized’
• Local vegetables were ‘ophan’

Raising the profile of local vegetables in Kenya
• Local knowledge e.g. on preparation was getting lost
• Some species were getting threatened
(e.g Cratalaria ochroleuca and C. brevidens are no longer common in the wild). • Chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, were on the increase especially in cities

Role of Kenrik
• Kenrik has been documenting and promoting use of Indigenous foods since its inception in 1992
• Traditional vegetables have lately been of focus
• Kenrik has been partnering with Local and international organization– including
PROTA, Bioversity
International (IPGRI),
Universities, Government ministries and Research institutions like KARI to promote Local vegetables

Local farmers documenting own local knowledge

Promotion of local vegetables
• Promotion has been through:
1. Provision of awareness material
(prepared from PROTA 2 Vegetables book) 2. Food fairs and cooking competitions
3. Cooking demonstrations
4. Use of media (radio, TV, etc)

Public awareness

Culture week at Kenyatta
University, a partner

Former Nairobi Mayor in stand in a promotional event at the National
Museums of Kenya

PROMOTION
• 2004, National traditional food promotion event
• Many other partner institutions hold annual events as well. e.g.
• Kenyatta University Culture
Week
(organized by Kenyatta University),
1. The Nairobi International
Show (organized by a national board) and
2. Nutrition Week (organized by
Kenyatta National Hospital).

Other Promotion techniques:
Street campaigns
Banners and t-shirts, posters Extension material
Extension

Effect of increased awareness
•

Increased awareness has led to more demand for information by
1. Farmers
2. Researchers
3. students

Preparation of ALVs
• Many African countries use the same species but the methods of preparation may differ.
• After documenting recipes, we may modify the preparation to appeal to the modern city person

Effects of promotion
• KENRIK has been depending a lot on material produced by institutions such as
PROTA
• Vegetable information for farmers has been synthesized into simpler forms
• KENRIK maintains a reading place for students looking for information

Current situation
• Using local vegetables is not seen as being poor • Poor rural farmers now have a market for their produce

Current situation
• Local vegetables have now flooded the streets of local towns

Constraints
• Seeds are a big constraint • We partner with farmers and NGOs such as Rural
Outreach
Programme to get seeds to farmers

Constraints and recommendations
• Nutrition data is incomplete- and unreliable, recycled from book to book for many years.
• Nutrition data is for fresh material mainly not cooked
• Need more information in form of posters and leaflets. Books are for researchers

Conclusion
• Kenya’s current interest in African leafy vegetables is the result of intense promotion • Similar work can be done on other groups of food plants
• Cities have a good mixture of cultures.
Each culture is a ‘market’ for a local neglected food.

Thank you