Amaranth production and consumption in South Africa: the challenges of sustainability for food and nutrition security

ABSTRACT

Amaranthus spp occupies a strategic position in combating food and nutrition insecurity, as it is widely consumed in sub-Saharan Africa. It is drought tolerant and can grow on marginal soils, however, with adequate management; it can produce about 40 tons/ha of fresh leaves. The leaves are rich in nutrients that can combat malnutrition and support healthy eating. Despite the huge benefits offered by amaranth, it has been underutilized in South Africa. Its consumption is concentrated in rural areas, where it is harvested from the wild during the rains. There are no large-scale productions of amaranth, hence the lack of data on its production. Inadequate knowledge of its uses, agronomic requirement, low research efforts and the absence of an organized market are part of the reasons why amaranth is still underutilized in South Africa. This paper argues that with increased awareness of the benefits of amaranth and research geared towards agronomic improvement, social and economic acceptance, amaranth will be utilized nationwide with time. It recommends that conscious effort should be aimed at introducing amaranth into mainstream agricultural value chains through increased research attention and awareness of its nutritional benefits. This will ensure sustainable production to match the anticipated increase in consumption.

KEYWORDS:

• African leafy vegetables
• amaranthus
• malnutrition
• pigweed
• underutilized vegetables

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Research Foundation, South Africa [UID 132595, UID 123634].

Notes on contributors

Obianuju Chiamaka Emmanuel

Obianuju Chiamaka is a Research officer at the National Horticultural Research Institute, Ibadan, Nigeria. She is currently a post-doctoral fellow at Food Safety and Security Niche Area at the North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, South Africa. She holds a master degree from the University of Ibadan and a PhD from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. Obianuju has worked as an Intern with the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan. Her research interest is in the development of soil fertility improvement strategies for the production of African Leafy green vegetables through on station and participatory on farm experimentation. It involves the optimization of the benefits from all possible sources of organic, inorganic and biological components in an integrated manner.

Olubukola Oluranti Babalola

Olubukola Oluranti Babalola is a Professor of Microbiology and the principal Investigator: Microbial Biotechnology Laboratory, North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, South Africa. She is a National Research Foundation (South Africa) rated established scientist. She had postdoctoral experiences from Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel and the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. Babalola is a trainer of trainees and many postgraduate students have graduated under her mentorship. She is the Vice President for OWSD, the Director of the Food Security and Safety Niche Area, and previous HOD at the North-West University, South Africa. Her research interest is in Plant-Microbe interactions. Babalola leads a research team of over a dozen scholars from different tribes and tongues. She is into a prolific career with research outputs. She enjoys international collaborations, research grants and many awards.