Abstract
In rural Ethiopia, people consume mainly cereals and pulses. Integrating vegetables into the multi-storey cropping system of the Yayu Coffee Forest Biosphere Reserve could improve nutritional health while reducing pressure on natural habitats in the biodiversity hotspot. The aim of the study was to assess the performance of cowpea under shade and its consumer acceptance as leafy vegetables. Trials compared continuous harvesting with uprooting, and food preference was tested. A baseline survey was conducted in four villages and revealed that cropping of vegetables in coffee plantations would be adoptable by 17% of farmers. The cumulatively harvested mean leaf yield (18.15 t ha−1) was significantly higher than the leaf yield of the uprooted cowpea (6.56 t ha−1). As many as 41% (52%) of participants liked cowpea dishes (very much). Based on the trial yields and the RDA, a 25 m2 cowpea plot could produce sufficient vitamin A for 2.1–4.6 adults, iron for 0.8–1.7, and vitamin C for 1.3–2.9 adults during six months. Cowpea was successfully cultivated below coffee, yielded most when repeatedly harvested and showed a high acceptance among consumers. The consumption of cowpea leaves from coffee forests could contribute to a balanced diet and improved nutrition.
Highlights
Worldwide, vegetable production and consumption is insufficient which can be described as a dietary gap between current dietary patterns and recommended food intake [1]
Coffee Forest Biosphere Reserve, namely in Bondo Megela kebele and Wabo kebele, both situated in Yayu woreda
It is stated that leafy African Indigenous Vegetables (AIV) have a short cropping cycle and can be harvested after a few weeks of cultivation [16,22,27,28,29,30]
Summary
Vegetable production and consumption is insufficient which can be described as a dietary gap between current dietary patterns and recommended food intake [1]. The World Health Organization suggests a minimum of 400 g of vegetables and fruits to be consumed per person and day [2] while more recent recommendations are higher, for example 300 g of vegetables per person and day or a range of 200–600 g (The Eat-Lancet Commission, 2019). Vegetable production is too low to provide sufficient quantities and the average amount of vegetables and fruits combined being available in. Only half of the WHO recommendation is achieved, provided that these vegetables and fruits were accessible, affordable, and acceptable for each individual of the population. Micronutrient deficiency is widespread such as iron deficiency with anemia rates among women of
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