Tackling Food Insecurity in Cabo Verde Islands: The Nutritional, Agricultural and Environmental Values of the Legume Species.

Maria Paula Duarte,Maria Cristina Duarte,Miguel Brilhante,Maria M Romeiras,Arlindo Fortes,Anyse P Essoh,Vladimir Ferreira,Filipa Monteiro,Augusto Manuel Correia,Eromise Varela

doi:10.3390/foods10020206

Abstract

Legume species are important food sources to reduce hunger and deal with malnutrition; they also play a crucial role in sustainable agriculture in the tropical dry islands of Cabo Verde. To improve the knowledge of the heritage of plant genetic resources in this Middle Income Country, this study had three main goals: (i) to provide a checklist of food legumes; (ii) to investigate which species are traded in local markets and, based on field surveys, to compare species for their chemical, phenolic, antioxidant, and nutritional composition; and (iii) to discuss the agronomic value and contribution to food security in this archipelago. Our results revealed that 15 species are used as food and 5 of them are locally traded (Cajanus cajan, Lablab purpureus, Phaseolus lunatus, Phaseolus vulgaris, and Vigna unguiculata). The role of these species as sources of important minerals, antioxidants, and nutritional components for food security is highlighted, and the native ones (Lablab purpureus and Vigna unguiculata) stand-out as particularly well-adapted to the climate of these islands, which are already experiencing the adverse effects of climate change. We conclude that the sustainable use of these genetic resources can contribute to the reduction of hunger and poverty, thus meeting some challenges of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Highlights

Agricultural development is imperative to improve food security and nutrition [1].Increasing the quantity and diversity of food will provide the primary source of income for many people, which is important in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), namely those in the African continent
The present study allowed us to identify five pulses (Cajanus cajan, Lablab purpureus, Phaseolus lunatus, Phaseolus vulgaris and Vigna unguiculata) that are widely traded in Santiago markets, and to identify the Leguminosae species used as food in Cabo Verde
There is a predominance of species from Tropical regions, the places of origin and domestication of a large number of the species cultivated in the archipelago, like beans (Canavalia ensiformis, Lablab purpureus, Phaseolus lunatus), peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) or manioc (Manihot esculenta: family Euphorbiaceae) [16]

Summary

Introduction

Increasing the quantity and diversity of food will provide the primary source of income for many people, which is important in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), namely those in the African continent. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, through the loss of income and jobs related to confinement measures, severely aggravated global food security conditions (e.g., [3]). These are even more worrying in countries where food security was already a major concern, such as the tropical dry islands of Cabo Verde where the agriculture sector is extremely limited by natural constraints such as drought periods, poor soils, scarcity of cropland and low technological level of implementation [4].

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion