Southern Africa Food Research Articles

Gendered and Ecological Struggles in Southern Africa: Land and Seed

Situating feminist investigations of food in Southern Africa within a broader discussion of the ecological crisis and the appropriation of nature reveals important connections between ecological and women’s struggles. This article draws on ecofeminist scholarship regarding ecological struggles pertaining to land and seed in order to explore the politics of food and its relation to women, nature and society in Southern Africa. It highlights that inherited and assumed ideas of nature have a direct bearing on the dominant conception of food. The article emphasises that feminist agencies are often silenced in food struggles and food scholarship despite the gendered nature of foodwork and women’s defence against nature’s appropriation. In concluding, the article invites us to see food in its totality and develop a new food logic.

Utilization of <i>Bridelia mollis</i> as herbal medicine, nutraceutical and functional food in southern Africa: A review

Purpose : To evaluate the functional food, nutraceutical and ethnomedicinal properties of Bridelia mollis throughout its geographical range. Methods : Retrieval of information on the medicinal, nutraceutical and functional food properties of B. mollis was undertaken using electronic databases, including PubMed, EThOS, ScienceDirect, SCOPUS, ProQuest, SciFinder, Medline, Open-thesis, OATD and Google Scholar. Pre-electronic literature was sourced from the University library. Results : Literature search revealed that fresh or dried fruits of B. mollis can be commercially processed into new food products and beverages in southern Africa. Bridelia mollis is traditionally used as herbal medicine for cough, itching, fever, gastro-intestinal problems, malaria, piles, parasitic worms and wounds. Pharmacological studies on B. mollis indicate that the species has antibacterial, antifungal, antileishmanial, antioxidative and antiplasmodial properties. Conclusion : Detailed studies on the phytochemistry, pharmacological and toxicological properties of B. mollis are needed in order to establish the real nutraceutical potential benefits of the species that might improve human health. Keywords : Antibacterial, Antifungal, Antileishmanial, Antioxidative, Antiplasmodial, Bridelia mollis , Phyllanthaceae

An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa

The food plants of southern Africa have not yet been been systematically recorded and the main patterns of plant use have therefore never been studied. The book by Fox and Norwood Young (1982) entitled “Food from the Veld” has been the most comprehensive to date and has become the standard reference work on the subject. However, this publication has become outdated and it is evident that many species were not included. We present here, for the first time, a comprehensive inventory and checklist of the edible plants of southern Africa, i.e., the Flora of Southern Africa (FSA) region. Seventy-four literature sources, including books, journal articles, checklists, grey literature and published ethnobotanical surveys were used to compile the inventory, which includes 1740 species (more than double the number listed by Fox and Norwood Young). All edible plants were marked-off in an Excel spreadsheet of all southern African plant species, made available by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). Using the Excel format, it was possible to easily explore the main patterns relating to the frequency of citation of the species, the number of species at different taxonomic ranks (families, genera and species), the plant parts that are used and the use categories within the region. For a selection of 13 indigenous cultural/language groups (for which adequate information was available), we quantified the local preferences (for the most species-rich families, the most commonly used plant parts and the most frequent categories of use. The food plant data for southern Africa were also compared to sub-Saharan Africa and the entire world. Surprisingly, it was found that the Apocynaceae was the most species-rich family of southern Africa food plants, with a total of 137 species, followed by the Fabaceae (135 species), Asteraceae (94 species) and Poaceae (73 species). A similar pattern was found in sub-Saharan Africa, but with Fabaceae in the first position, followed by Apocynaceae. The family-level pattern for the entire world is different, where the Apocynaceae is unimportant, being replaced by Rosaceae (the last-mentioned is of very low significance in Africa). The most species-rich food plant genus in southern Africa is Searsia, while Solanum nigrum and Sclerocarya birrea have the highest frequency of citation in the literature. The most popular plant part used as a food in southern Africa, as well as in the entire world, are fruits, followed by leaves and then underground storage organs. The most species-rich category of food plant use is those consumed raw (and mostly in situ) as snacks, followed by those which are cooked as vegetables. The Apocynaceae have mostly edible underground storage organs as the edible parts, while Fabaceae is more diverse. Fruits and leaves have been determined as the most important plant parts used as food for most of the cultural groups except for the Khoekhoe group, where underground parts are the most important. For all of the cultural groups, plants used for snacks were the most important. A chronological list of publications shows that there were seven major contributions since the first survey by Van der Stel in 1685. The comprehensive inventory provides profound new insights into foraging and human food ecology and may also have value in interpreting and reconstructing the availability of food plants during the evolution of early humans in southern Africa.

Creating transformative spaces for dialogue and action: reflecting on the experience of the Southern Africa Food Lab

CITATION: Drimie, S., et al. 2018. Creating transformative spaces for dialogue and action : reflecting on the experience of the Southern Africa Food Lab. Ecology and Society, 23(3):2, doi:10.5751/ES-10177-230302.

Evaluation of grain yield and related agronomic traits of quality protein maize hybrids in Southern Africa

Maize is the major staple food in southern Africa with human consumption averaging 91 kg capita−1 year−1, and normal maize is nutritionally deficient in two essential amino acids: tryptophan and lysine. Despite the development of quality protein maize (QPM) with high tryptophan and lysine, stunting and kwashiorkor remain high in sub-Saharan Africa due to lack of high yielding and adapted QPM varieties. This study aimed at evaluating a new generation of QPM varieties for yield and related agronomic traits. Before the QPM varieties were validated on-farm, they were simultaneously selected on-station under five different management conditions. In the 2014/2015 season, 10 elite QPM varieties were selected from on-station trials based on high grain yield and stability, and were compared with the best commercial check varieties on-farm. During the 2015/2016 season, some poorly performing QPM varieties were dropped while new ones were added, resulting in 12 elite QPM varieties being evaluated on-farm. Analysis of variance for the 2014/2015 season showed non-significant hybrid × management condition interaction. Mean grain yields across management conditions ranged from 1.5 to 4 t ha−1 and were higher under mild stress (2.3–5.5 t ha−1) compared to random stress conditions (1.1–2.9 t ha−1). Broad sense heritability estimates were low to moderate (11–69%), and thus could still permit effective selection of better genotypes. Yield advantage ranged from 12 to 25% across the 2 years, suggesting effective genetic gains in QPM breeding. QPM hybrids CZH132044Q, CZH142238Q and CZH142236Q were stable and high yielding. Promotion of such QPM hybrids may help reduce protein energy malnutrition.

Southern Africa Food Crisis

Africa Research Bulletin: Economic, Financial and Technical SeriesVolume 53, Issue 1 p. 21125A-21125C Full Issue Southern Africa Food Crisis First published: 01 March 2016 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6346.2016.06872.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume53, Issue1March 2016Pages 21125A-21125C RelatedInformation

Southern Africa's Food Crisis - from Bad to Worse

Africa Research Bulletin: Economic, Financial and Technical SeriesVolume 52, Issue 12 p. 21097B-21097C Policy and Practice Southern Africa's Food Crisis – from Bad to Worse First published: 27 January 2016 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6346.2016.06830.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume52, Issue12February 2016Pages 21097B-21097C RelatedInformation

Nutrient Management Strategies on Heterogeneously Fertile Granitic‐Derived Soils in Subhumid Zimbabwe

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the staple food in southern Africa, but low soil fertility and lack of effective fertilization strategies for variable soil conditions hamper efficient use of nutrient resources. The objective of this study was to establish the influence of soil fertility heterogeneity on maize yield response to manure, liming, and inorganic fertilizers. Three sites, selected to represent three soil fertility domains based on soil organic carbon (SOC) between 3.5 to 8.9 g SOC kg−1 soil, were used during two cropping seasons. Nitrogen, P, K, and S were applied alone (NPKS) or in combinations involving lime, cattle manure, and micronutrients. Grain and stover were analyzed for nutrient uptake, and agronomic efficiencies were computed for N and P. Across sites, maize grain yields increased with increasing SOC. In Year 2, lime was the most important component for increasing maize yields in low SOC soil. For the medium and high SOC soils, treatments with NPKS + manure resulted in the best efficiencies. Although soil pH was low in these fields as well, lime which was applied only in Year 1, did not improve yields either year. Maize yields and nutrient uptake were strongly affected by SOC content, with yields for a site with 3.5 g SOC kg−1 soil significantly lower than the two sites that had >5.3 g SOC kg−1soil. We conclude that farmers must strategically target their limited nutrients resources to fields that are not yet degraded and maintain soil fertility to guarantee returns to fertilizer investments.

Development of a locally sustainable functional food based on mutandabota, a traditional food in southern Africa

A probiotic dairy product was developed on the basis of a traditional dish called mutandabota to enable resource-poor populations in southern Africa to benefit from a functional food. Mutandabota is widely consumed in rural southern Africa, making it an ideal food matrix to carry probiotics. First, a process to produce probiotic mutandabota was designed. Raw cow milk was boiled and subsequently cooled to ambient temperature (25°C). Next, dry pulp from the fruit of the baobab tree (Adansonia digitata L.) was added to the milk at a concentration of 4% (wt/vol). This mixture was inoculated with the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus yoba and left to ferment for 24h, while the growth of the bacterial culture was monitored. Final ingredients were then added to produce probiotic mutandabota that had 14% (wt/vol) baobab fruit pulp and 7% (wt/vol) sugar in cow milk. The pH of probiotic mutandabota was pH 3.5, which ensures that the product is microbiologically safe. The viable plate count of L. rhamnosus yoba increased from 5.8±0.3 log cfu/mL at the point of inoculation to 8.8±0.4 log cfu/mL at the moment of consumption, thereby meeting the criterion to have a viable count of the probiotic bacterium in excess of 6 log cfu/mL of a product. Baobab fruit pulp at 4% promoted growth of L. rhamnosus yoba with a maximal specific growth rate (μmax) of 0.6±0.2/h at 30°C. The developed technology, though specific for this particular product, has potential to be applied for the delivery of probiotics through a variety of indigenous foods in different regions of the world. Upon consumption, probiotic mutandabota is expected to improve the population's intestinal health, which is especially relevant for vulnerable target groups such as children and elderly people.

Vermicomposting of Waste Corn Pulp Blended with Cow Dung Manure using Eisenia Fetida

Waste corn pulp was investigated as a potential feedstock during vermicomposting using Eisenia fetida. Corn pulp is the major staple food in Southern Africa and constitutes about 25% of the total organic waste. Wastecooked corn pulp was blended with cow dung in the ratio 6:1 respectively to optimize the vermicomposting process. The feedstock was allowed to vermicompost for 30 days. The vermicomposting took place in a 3- tray plastic worm bin. Moisture content, temperature, pH, and electrical conductivity were monitoreddaily. The NPK content was determined at day 30. During vermicomposting, moisture content increased from 27.68% to 52.41%, temperature ranged between 19- 25◦C, pH increased from 5.5 to 7.7, and electrical conductivity decreased from 80000µS/cm to 60000µS/cm. The ash content increased from 11.40% to 28.15%; additionally the volatile matter increased from 1.45% to 10.02%. An odorless, dark brown vermicompost was obtained. The vermicompost NPK content was 4.19%, 1.15%, and 6.18% respectively. Keywords—corn pulp, Eisenia fetida, vermicomposting, waste management

The role of business and cross-sector collaboration in addressing the ‘wicked problem’ of food insecurity

There is growing interest in the potential for business to make proactive contributions to food security, particularly as part of some form of cross-sector collaboration. Such collaboration can improve value chain efficiency and may also begin to address some of the ‘wicked problem’ characteristics of food insecurity. Our interviews conducted during the food price crisis in 2008 confirm that a broad cross-section of stakeholders agree that the crisis has cyclical and systemic causes and that it has serious implications for business. We also describe a range of related initiatives already being implemented by companies. There is a degree of ambivalence about the feasibility of improved collaboration, given competitive pressures and concerns about compliance with competition laws. Nevertheless, a number of respondents emphasised the need for improved collaboration on particular issues and the paper identifies a number of these, some of which have since been targeted in a multi-stakeholder initiative, the Southern Africa Food Lab, that builds on this (and other) research.

Life‐history traits of the edible stinkbug, Encosternum delegorguei (Hem., Tessaratomidae), a traditional food in southern Africa

AbstractLittle is known of the life history of the edible stinkbug, Encosternum delegorguei, although it is an important food for people living in north‐eastern South Africa and southern Zimbabwe. The present study aimed to establish key elements influencing long‐term sustainable harvesting. Outdoor insectaries of two sizes were constructed to observe: daily activity, utilization of plants, copulation, oviposition, eclosion and survival from May 2006 to February 2007. The rest of the annual life cycle was observed in the field in March and April 2007 and identified as univoltine. In autumn (May) E. delegorguei entered reproductive diapause and aggregated within the escarpment mist‐belt where it survived the winter on vapour condensation without feeding. Monthly dissections showed that abdominal fat content was highest in June. In spring (September) E. delegorguei fed on sap of the trees Combretum imberbe, Combretum molle, Peltophorum africanum, to a lesser degree on Dodonaea viscosa and the grass Pennisetum clandestinum. Copulation occurred in October and November. An overall total of 1752 E. delegorguei eggs were laid by 103 females and incubation time averaged 18.7 ± 9.0 days (range 7–37) at outdoor temperature ranging from 11°C to 25°C. The mean number of eggs in 64 egg masses was 27.4 ± 13.9 (range of 2–56 eggs). Shade cloth (68.8%) was the most commonly used substrate for depositing eggs followed by P. clandestinum (12.5%), C. imberbe (7.8%), P. africanum (6.3%), D. viscosa (1.6%), C. molle (1.6%) and C. erythrophyllum (1.6%). The parasitoid wasp, Anastatus sp. (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) infected 57% of the eggs deposited by captive females. Availability of food plants in combination with parasitoid threat may be a reason for seasonal migration between overwintering sites within the mist‐belt and summer oviposition sites. Diminishing harvests could be attributed to fuelwood harvesting of food plants in the summer sites.

What drives food insecurity in southern Africa? a meta-analysis of household economy studies

Food insecurity, and the factors that determine it, are experienced at the level of the household and the individual. Food insecurity is also spatially varied across regions. In this paper meta-analysis is used to synthesize 49 household economy local-level studies that focus on community-level livelihood strategies to identify drivers of food insecurity in southern Africa. The results reveal entrenched cycles of vulnerability in southern Africa's food insecure communities, where socio-economic issues feature prominently. The direct causes of inadequate food access are poverty, environmental stressors and conflict: these account for 50% of the identified indirect drivers of food insecurity. Meta-analysis is used to suggest the common processes behind food insecurity that take specific forms in particular communities. The findings underscore the need to understand the multiple social and political dimensions of food insecurity, such as the breakdown in social capital associated with poverty, conflict and HIV/AIDS, that run deeper than environmental constraints to food production.

(1372) Proposal to conserve the name Colophospermum against Hardwickia (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae)

Colophospermum mopane, a medium-sized tree or many-stemmed shrub, occurs over an extensive area of southern and central Africa, often forming almost pure stands (White, Veg. Africa Descr. Mem., 1983). Widely known as mopane, it is, in one form or another, the dominant woodland species over an area in excess of 50,000 km2 (Mapaure in Kirkia 15: 1-5. 1994). Its range extends from the Northern Province in South Africa, through Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Angola, and Zambia to Malawi and Mozambique. It prefers the heavier-textured soils of flat valley bottoms at lower altitudes. In addition to its ecological significance, Colophospermum mopane is of considerable economic and social importance in the region. Its leaves, shoots and bark are a valuable source of browse to both livestock (Donaldson in Proc. Grassland Soc. S. Africa 14: 119-123. 1979) and wildlife (Lewis in African J. Ecol. 29: 207-221. 1991). The leaves are the sole food source for the mopane worm, larvae of the moth Gonimbrasia belina, which are dried and sold extensively as food in southern Africa, an industry estimated to be worth over US$ 7 million per year (Styles in BBC Wildlife, March 1995: 22-24. 1995). The mopane tree provides building materials, twine (from the bark), and fuel for millions of rural people throughout its range. The heartwood is attractive, dark reddish brown, hard, heavy, termite resistant, and very durable. It is extensively used for house-building, furniture, ornaments and, in particular, fire wood. C. mopane is also the source of medicines, resin, and tannins (Timberlake in Zimbabwe Bull. Forest Res. 11, 1995). For the above reasons, the literature dealing with C. mopane is very comprehensive. A review and bibliography of the scientific literature concerning this species has been compiled by Timberlake (I.c.) and includes 134 key papers, with a further 15 or so published since. The generic name Colophospermum, first used by John Kirk on herbarium labels in 1860, was validly published by Leonard (1949). It derives from the Greek and means resinous seed, an allusion to the numerous scattered resin glands which cover the seed (Ross in Fl. S. Africa 16(2): 16-19. 1977). Hitherto Colophospermum has been treated as a unispecific genus in the tribe Detarieae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae, of the Leguminosae. The specific epithet is derived from the vernacular name mupane or mupani (Winter & al., Transvaal Trees: 64-65. 1966). Prior to