Uganda - The Contribution Of Indigenous Vegetables to Household Food Security

The note aims to prompt policy makers,
and development managers to reassess, and give more weight
to neglected production, and consumption of traditional
vegetables, so as to enhance nutrition, income generation,
and food security for small scale households. Though the
views expressed herewith are the results of interviews in
several African countries, it focuses mainly on the Uganda
situation. The contribution of indigenous vegetables to
household food security, namely, kitchen gardens common in
urban centers, or home gardens found in villages, is
characterized by intercropping systems, a food production
strategy which has been overlooked by both policy makers,
and extension specialists. The importance of traditional
vegetables, such as cowpeas, cabbage, amaranthus, and
solanum aethiopicum, is emphasized, to provide and meet the
daily requirements of vitamins, minerals, and proteins.
However, there is reduced effectiveness in ensuring food
security all year round, due to the fact that very few
traditional vegetables are cultivated, and in Uganda, rural
women have limited access to resources. Thus, the note
stipulates that extensive education on the importance of
balanced food nutrition -as well as direct or indirect
source of income if home grown - particularly for the
resource-poor families, must be undertaken by African governments.