Lost Crops of Africa Volume III: Fruits (2008) / Chapter Skim
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For one thing, compared to the already-improved foreign fruits, Africa's species could seem relatively difficult to select and reproduce, a hindrance to expressing their potential qualities and achieving their ultimate place in the food supply. That feature further turned growers toward the better-known tropical fruits, whose breeding and propagation problems had been already overcome and whose culture could be found in books and colonial expertise.
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If poverty's weight falls especially heavily on its rural population, then rural development is vital for achieving overall poverty reduction and improvement in African life. And developing Africa's own local fruits is one practical approach to nourishing these local lives.
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To become edible it must be boiled for some time, but then it can be turned into many tasty items, including roasted snacks and a spread not unlike peanut butter. Climate arid 2.
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Climate subtropical 5. Horned Melon A spiky orange oddity crammed with green jelly and white seeds, the horned melon (Cucumis metulifer, Cucurbitaceae)
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is one of the two African fruits that are known around the world. All the warmer regions produce it, of course, and millions enjoy a melon for breakfast, lunch, or dessert.
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6 LOST CROPS OF AFRICA 10. Watermelon Other than botanists, few people consider that watermelon (Citrullus lanatus, Cucurbitaceae)
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* √ √ √ NB: The underlying justifications for these broad rankings are discussed in the following sections on Nutrition, Food Security, Rural Development, and Sustainable Landcare; greater detail is provided in the separate chapters on individual crops.
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general landcare. OVERCOMING MALNUTRITION Although pertinent nutritive information is often poorly available, it can be anticipated that all African fruits are useful sources of nutrients, particularly vitamin C
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Baobab Nutritionally speaking, the strange chalky powder from a baobab fruit can be considered nature's gift to natural food fortification. The dry, soluble flour provides a simple way to add protein, carbohydrate, energy, fiber, provitamin A, vitamin C, several B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, and iron to other foods even in remote areas where delivering those by other means is difficult.
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Kei Apple Kei apples are highly acidic for the simple reason they have more vitamin C than oranges. Beyond that, little of their food value is known.
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Such combinations have often staved off starvation until staple supplies could stabilize. Below, we summarize the merits of the fruits highlighted in the book, specifically in terms of food security.
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Carissa Although in South Africa carissa hedges provide generations of kids the micronutrients they need, for the rest of Africa the fruit seems to have little food-security merit, at present. Horned Melon Of all the world's fruits, perhaps none has a better shelf life than horned melon, which can remain edible for 6 months even in the tropics.
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In times of drought African farmers have traditionally relied on them for emergency use. Sometimes wild fruits scattered across the desert become the sole source of moisture for their cattle -- and even for themselves -- for months on end.
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Successful fruit crops can also bring broad benefits by creating a ripple effect on the economy, raising the standard of living, keeping enterprising youth from fleeing the farm for the cities that beckon so insistently, and raising the tax revenues that result from general commerce. Below we summarize the merits of each of the 10 cultivated fruits highlighted in this book's first section, specifically as they relate to rural development.
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Horned Melon At first sight this would seem the least likely resource for rural development. The fruit seems uncommonly undesirable.
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While such efforts demand considerable technology, making this seem a case where a lowly crop has a future only as a high-tech export, others believe horned melon may well serve as both a fruit and a vegetable that finds ready local markets as well. Kei Apple In the past, the sourness of even the ripest kei apple seemed a barrier to the crop's wider acceptance.
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Watermelon Watermelon fruits are generally easy to grow and easy to sell. They would seem to offer prospects for rural development anywhere they can be cultivated.
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Seen in this light, fruit trees are among the most promising tools for securing agricultural systems that are both long lasting and gentle on the land. Benefits from growing fruit crops -- especially perennial ones -- include: • Lessening soil erosion.
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Interestingly, the vines wither at the end of the rains, but the fruits continue to ripen and persist long into the dry season, often serving as a water source. Kei Apple This tough shrub does well in almost any soil, including limestone.
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* The above summaries have highlighted the benefits that may accrue from a broader appreciation for Africa's cultivated fruits.
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