Volume 76, Part 4, October 2015, Pages 980–985
Food and Nutrition Security: Can science and good governance deliver dinner?
Highlights
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- Current contribution of indigenous fruit trees to regional food security
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- IFBTs provide fruit, ethnomedicines, macro- and micro-nutrients.
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- Value addition by processing the fruit and seeds
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- Exploring the commercial potential of IFBTs for biofuels, biofertilisers, oils, and pectins
Abstract
Sub-Saharan
Africa (SSA) has an estimated annual population growth rate of 2.7%
making it the highest globally. More than two thirds of the over 800
million people in the region stay in rural areas where they depend on
subsistence agriculture. Socio-economic instability, poor soil fertility
and unreliable rainfall result in poor crop yields. This exposes the
vulnerable to food insecurity and inadequate nutrient intake.
Malnutrition is not restricted to undernutrition as in the urban areas
the adoption of diets rich in carbohydrates and fats also poses health
problems associated with obesity. Malnutrition causes derangements in
the immune system, thereby increasing susceptibility to and severity of
infections among the affected population. In SSA, indigenous fruit
bearing trees (IFBTs) are treasured sources of macro- and
micro-nutrients, and health promoting phytochemicals. The phytochemicals
have biological and pharmacological activities that mitigate some of
the physiological effects of malnutrition. In this paper, the
contribution of IFBTs such as Uapaca kirkiana and Adansonia digitata
to household food security, rural economy and community health are
highlighted. Examples of community-based projects dependent on fruit
from IFBTs are given. Using this evidence the need for unlocking the
seemingly hidden potential contribution of the genetically diverse IFBTs
to food security is highlighted. In this regard, research should focus
on how to tap into health benefits of oils from IFBTs seeds. Residual
cakes from oil extraction could be developed into biofuels,
bio-fertilisers and animal feed ingredients. Fruit pulp could be
exploited to produce more health-promoting natural sweeteners and
pectins for industrial use. This beneficiation and value addition of
products from IFBTs over and above contributing to the enhancement of
household food security and the rural economy would translate into
increased community-based sustainable utilisation and conservation of
IFBTs.
Keywords
- Food security;
- Indigenous fruit bearing trees;
- Seeds;
- Drought;
- Protein–energy malnutrition;
- Natural antioxidants;
- Phytochemicals
1. Introduction
Availability
and access to nutritionally balanced food are a fundamental tenet that
is enshrined in the constitutions of member states signatory to the
United Nations charter [Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), 1996].
Among the cocktail of challenges facing sub-Sahara Africa (SSA),
malnutrition stands out. Malnutrition technically encompasses both
under- and over-nutrition. Consequently it is typified by either
macro-nutrient (carbohydrate, protein and fats) or micro-nutrient
(vitamins, minerals and beneficial phytochemicals) deficiency or an
excess intake of calories. Dietary energy, largely derived from
carbohydrates, is necessary for normal body function. The proteins which
are composed of amino acids constitute about 16% of the human body mass
(Brožek, Grande, Anderson & Keys, 1963)
and are necessary for the synthesis and maintenance of the enzymes,
hormones, neurotransmitters, and body tissues including bone. Unlike
non-essential amino acids that can be synthesised de novo, essential
amino acids must be supplied in the diet. Fats (lipids) are a more
concentrated than carbohydrates as a source of energy for the body.
However, some lipid components, for example, essential fatty acids
(EFAs) such as the omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids)
are required for normal foetal brain and visual development (Neuringer, Anderson & Conner, 1998).
In addition, the EFAs play important roles in cellular signal
transduction and the immune response. Among the several roles,
micronutrients in the body serve as co-enzymes that facilitate a host of
physiological reactions and contribute to the natural antioxidant pool.
Antioxidants help keep in check the concentration of free radicals
(reactive oxygen and nitrogen species) that would otherwise result in
oxidative stress (Falowo, Fayemi & Muchenje, 2014) and increase the body's susceptibility to infection (Nkengfack, Torimiro & Englert, 2012).
The human population of SSA is more than 800 million and its annual growth rate is estimated at 2.7% (Ejide, 2012).
This makes the SSA's population the fastest growing throughout the
world. In 2010, it was estimated that about 528 million people out of
the total SSA human population lived in rural areas and depended on
subsistence agriculture for their livelihoods. In these rural
settlements, agriculture is dependent on rainfall. This makes
subsistence agriculture a highly risky enterprise. The risk is mainly
due to unreliability and the lack of effective rainfall, mid-season dry
spells and at times, flooding. The inclement weather conditions
predispose the rural population to food insecurity. Inadequacy of food
during the dry season and in early summer before the harvest exposes the
vulnerable (expecting and nursing mothers, recently weaned and growing
children and the sick) to inadequate intake of both macro- and
micro-nutrients. In general, as already alluded to, inadequate intake of
nutrients especially during the off-season is a characteristic feature
of rural SSA. However, in the rapidly expanding urban settlements of the
region, there has been an increased consumption of unhealthy
carbohydrate and fat rich diets in place of wholesome nutritionally
adequate traditional diets. The excess caloric intake by this population
segment coupled with sedentary lifestyles have spawned an increase in
obesity across all age groups. The child- and adult-hood obesity
invariably has and is leading to increased prevalence of metabolic
diseases such as type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension and associated
cardiovascular diseases (Slyper, 2004).
The human population in SSA is thus faced with a twin evil, namely
inadequate nutrients especially in the rural areas and excessive caloric
intake in some segments of the urban population.
