Perceptions of end-users in Limpopo Province (South Africa) about the Spider plant (Cleome gynandra L.)

Abstract

Indigenous leafy vegetables such as the spider plant (Cleome gynandra L.) can play an important role in alleviating malnutrition and providing a source of income to smallholder growers. In South Africa, the spider plant is often harvested from the wild. There is lack of information regarding the perceptions of end-users about this indigenous leafy vegetable in many regions of South Africa. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the perceptions of local communities about the spider plant in Limpopo Province (South Africa). This information on the perception of spider plant by end-users will serve as a pre-requisite to establish a breeding programme, strategies to conserve the vegetable and to establish commercial production of this vegetable. Questionnaires were administered to households in each of the five districts in Limpopo Province targeting a wide range of end-users. Their consumption patterns, availability and level of knowledge of spider plant was assessed. Chi-square tests were used to assess the differences in perceptions and consumption patterns. The results showed that some of the communities relied on harvesting the vegetable spider plant from the homestead for consumption. There was no commercial seed production of this vegetable in these communities. The highest consumption (> 50%) of the vegetable was observed in Waterberg and Sekhukhune districts. The results also showed that the age of consumers influenced dietary preferences with the old people preferring this leafy vegetable more than the young people. The bitter taste of the vegetable appeared to deter some potential end-users. These results showed that there is potential to cultivate the spider plant as a crop and to improve the taste of the vegetable. In addition, good quality seed could improve the production of the vegetable.