Five little-known vegetables that could help end hunger Native vegetables such as guar, Dogon shallot, and

celosia could play an importa nt role in feeding Africa. Girl with a cart of fresh produce in Kenya. Less well-known vegetables could play an important role in feeding the planet. (Keith Levit / Design Pics/Newscom/File) By Nourishing the Planet posted July 11, 2011 at 10:11 am EDT No single food can put an end to hunger. But worldwide there are many different fruits and vegetables that are helping to improve nutrition and diets, while inc reasing incomes and improving livelihoods. Today, Nourishing the Planet introduces a new series featuring the four vegetabl es and one fruit that acts like a vegetable that you have likely never heard of that are helping to alleviate hunger and poverty: 1. Guar: Like other legumes, guars (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) roots have nitrogenfixing bacteria, which improve the quality of the soil and increase the yield of subsequent crops. In addition to being an organic green manure, the guar seed i s a valuable source of vegetable protein for humans and cattle. The seeds contai n a thickening agent that can be used to strengthen paper, as well as improve th e texture of foods such as ice cream and salad dressing. Best way to eat it: Guar can be cooked in water until tender and sauted with must ard oil and other seasonings, garnished with coriander and served hot as a flavo rful entre or side. Guar in Action: The organization Practical Action is encouraging farmers in the semi-arid Zambezi valley of northern Zimbabwe to grow guar to improve nutrition and livelihoods. The project has provided small-scale farmers with some of the i nputs they need to cultivate the crop, as well as helping them develop a sound m arket system to reap benefits from the harvest. 2. The Dogon Shallot: The dogon shallot is found in Dogon, the land in the Bandi agar escarpment between Mopti and Timbuktu in Mali. Shallots (Allium cepa var. ag gregatum), a relative of the onion, have long been appreciated for their unique sweet and rich flavor and are a staple ingredient for many popular dishes. The n utritional and savory part of this vegetable is the bulb which grows underground and produces leaves, flowers, and fruits above ground. Best way to eat it: Dogon Som is a condiment commonly used in Dogon cooking. It c onsists of the shallot and other local ingredients such as, gangadjou, oroupounn, and pourkam. The leaves, flowers, and fruit of each plant are included in a sauc e that is served to flavor most meals. The Dogon Shallot in Action: In 2009 USAID/Malis Integrated Initiatives for Econo mic Growth program (IICEM) with funds from the Global Food Security Response (GF SR) sent women from the village to a conference in Burkina Faso in order to shar e their experience and their shallots. The attendees at the conference enjoyed t he shallots so much that the women won a first place prize of $1,700 and one wom an received an order for 25 tons of her delicious shallots. 3. Spider Plant: Spider plant (Cleome gynandra) also known as African cabbage, s pider wisp, and cats whiskers is a wild green leafy vegetable that grows all over tropical Africa, Asia, and the Americas. It is not formally cultivated, but amo

ng poor rural communities especially in the Kalahari and Namib regions of southe rn Africa young leaves are collected, cooked, and eaten like spinach. Spider pla nt is generally considered a weed, plaguing maize and bean fields in Kenya and o ther countries. But called mwangani in Swahili, spider plant is highly nutritiou s and is well adapted to many African ecosystems. Best Way to Eat It: The leaves, stems, pods, and flowers taste best when boiled in water or milk or fried in a pan with oil. The addition of milk reduces the na tural bitterness of the leaves. The Spider Plant in Action: In southern and eastern Africa, spider plant is sold in both rural and urban markets when the plant is in abundance, proving that th e crop can be a profitable product. Further economic benefit could come from the development of medicinal products and insecticides, and seed oils could be used in soaps, biofuels, or other commercial products. 4. Celosia: Because of its flavor and nutritional value, Celosia is widely consu med in several parts of Africa. It is an especially important food in Nigeria, B enin, and Congo because of its affinity for hot and humid climates. It is also c ommonly eaten in Indonesia and India. Celosias grow easily, require little care, and often reseed themselves making them high yielding, cheap, and simple to gro w. Having proven widely tolerant to both tropical and dry conditions and usually unaffected by pests, diseases, or soil type, this crop is among the most flexib le greens for harsh growing conditions. Best Way to Eat It: The leaves, young stems, and flowers a can be made into soup s and stews, served as a nutty-flavored side dish with meat or fish or with a ce real-based main course such as maize porridge. Celosia in Action: In addition to their nutritional and aesthetic value, Celosia may also help repress striga, a parasitic weed which devastates other crops inc luding sorghum, millet, and maize. Although the research on this trait is still far from clear, farmers call it striga chaser. 5. African Eggplant: The African Eggplant is technically a fruit, but it is usua lly picked when it is green and eaten as a vegetable. The plant itself can grow in agricultural wastelands, is somewhat drought resistant, and has the ability to grow in humid areas. The garden eggs have even proven to be resistant to molds, mildews, and certain soil-borne plant pathogens. They can also be grown alongsid e other crops or in small pots providing a high yield of fruit from a small area . Best Way to Eat It: The fruit is usually picked when it is green and eaten like a vegetable in stews and sauces, or even consumed raw. If picked after it is rip e, it can be enjoyed as a fruit though some varieties are more sour than others. African Eggplant in Action: Even though the fruit is not well known for its nutr itional content it is 92 percent water it also provides vitamin B, beta-carotene , and vitamin C in addition to calcium, iron, and potassium. To read more about the vegetables that are helping to alleviate hunger, see: Gua r: Food, Fodder, Fertilizer & More, The Dogon Shallot: An Underground Favorite, Spider Plant: A Hardy Nutritious African Native, Celosia: Natures Prettiest Veget able, and African Eggplant: The Fruit that Is Enjoyed As a Vegetable. To purchase your own copy of State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish t he Planet, please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HE RE. The original version of this story appeared at Nourishing the Planet, a blog pub

lished by the Worldwatch Institute. IN PICTURES: The White House vegetable garden The Christian Science Monitor. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this servi ce