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Traditional Green Vegetables in Kenya

How can Kenyans protect their health, create better markets for smallhold farmers and foster plant biodiversity all at once?  Maryam Imbumi of the Kenya Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge described the multiple benefits of enjoying African traditional foods.

Traditional green vegetables occupy an important role in household nutrition throughout Kenya, particularly in rural areas, as these are the main source of vitamins and provide variety to meals otherwise consisting of maize, beans and occasionally, meat stews.  These green vegetables also provide a secondary source of proteins.  In general, green leaves and young stems are collected, washed, chopped and either steamed or boiled in combination with other leafy vegetables then fried with spices, onions and tomatoes.  These vegetables are now being grown in rural and peri-urban areas for market, both locally and for urban consumption and are likely to become more important within urban gardens as well.

Many indigenous and traditional plants have edible leaves and preservation of these vegetables in rural areas improves household diets during the dry season.  Processing methods must also be developed to make these vegetables more attractive to urban dwellers. More research is required on the nutrient contents and anti-nutritional compounds in these vegetables. Opportunity exists for

entrepreneurs to develop frozen or dried products that are more conveniently prepared. Leaves of various green vegetables, including pumpkin, solanum and spider plant, can be blanched, air dried and then packaged with dried onions and tomatoes. This product cooks very quickly and is difficult to distinguish from the fresh vegetables. Another approach is to obtain, clean and cook larger quantities of green vegetables and then bag and freeze them. These frozen vegetables may be added to sautéed onions and tomatoes, and different recipes prepared by adding milk, coconut or groundnut.  In addition, providing farmers greater opportunity to grow and market their traditional foods also protects agricultural biodiversity. Traditional green vegetables remain an important food in Kenya but we must continue to find new and more convenient ways to process, market and prepare them.