Abstract
AbstractIndigenous vegetables (IVs) are rich sources of essential nutrients, particularly vitamins and minerals, and other non-nutritive phytochemicals. IVs play a critical role in the food culture of the Ghanaian people. Despite their importance, they have over the years been mostly associated with the resource-poor. In this study, the types of IVs, preparation preferences, frequency of consumption and some perceived benefits ascribed by some Ghanaian consumers (n = 1393) were investigated in a cross-sectional survey. Descriptive analysis and a chi-square test of independence were conducted to summarise and determine the relationship between gender, age and consumption frequency of the IVs. The study identified okra (Abelmoschus esculentus), cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) leaves, jute mallow (Corchorus olitorius) and garden egg (Solanum melongena) as the popular IVs consumed by respondents. Among these, about 13.3% of women and 15.3% of men indicated they consume okra. Eight per cent of the women respondents and 6.7% of the men consumed jute mallow. Almost 57% of the respondents said the IVs were used to prepare stew and soup. More than a third (39%) of the respondents indicated that they consumed the IVs either daily or more than once a week. Women respondents’ frequency of IVs consumption was significantly different [X2 (4, n = 1393) = 30.11, p = 0.000] from the men. The frequency of consumption of IVs for the elderly was significantly higher [X2 (12, n = 1393) = 30.53, p = 0.002] as compared to the younger respondents. The main perceived benefits of IVs were nutrition- and health-related. The major barriers to the consumption of IVs were cost, non-availability, palatability and cultural. The IVs were largely wet-cooked and consumed as stews or sauces and soups. These findings form good bases for further empirical studies on the nutritional and other health-benefiting attributes of the specific IVs found in this study for sustainable promotion and utilisation in Ghana.
Funder
Embassy of the Netherlands
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Anthropology,Food Science
Reference80 articles.
1. Maundu, P.M. The status of traditional vegetable utilization in Kenya in Traditional African Vegetables. In: Proceedings of the IPGRI International workshop on Genetic Resources of Traditional Vegetables in Africa. Conservation and Use. ICRAF-HQ, Nairobi. Institute of Plant Genetic and Crop Plant Research, Rome; 1997.
2. Towns AM, Shackleton C. Traditional, indigenous, or leafy? A definition, typology, and way forward for African vegetables. Econ Bot. 2018;72(4):461–77. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-019-09448-1.
3. Abbiw, D.K. Useful plants of Ghana. In: Intermediate technology; 1990.
4. International Plant Genetic Resources Institute Traditional African Vegetables. In: Proceedings of the IPGRI International Workshop on Genetic Resources of Traditional Vegetables in Africa: Conservation and Use. Nairobi, Kenya: Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Gatersleben/International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome, Italy; 1997
5. Hughes, J., Ebert, A. Research and development of underutilized plant species: the role of vegetables in assuring food and nutritional security. In: II International Symposium on Underutilized Plant Species: Crops for the Future-Beyond Food Security; 2013. 979.
Cited by
6 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献