"It would make good sense to cultivate 'forgotten foods'"
Plants and fruit growing in the wild are lost when ecosystems are destroyed - as is the case in Ghana.
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"Opportunity crops" is a recently coined term for plants that were long known as “forgotten” or “neglected foods”. Experts agree that these traditional crops deserve more attention because of their promising characteristics, as Neil Palmer of the World Vegetable Center wrote in the previous issue of Welternährung. According to Paulina S. Addy of Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture, however, there is another category of invaluable plants. She speaks of "vanishing foods" and warns that rural communities’ diets are deteriorating, especially because of wanton deforestation.
Global Food Journal: What exactly is a vanishing food?
Paulina S. Addy: I use the term for fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, spices and other plants that we used to enjoy in the past, but hardly find anymore. Some are seasonal, some are not. They have declined in numbers as their natural habitats are being diminished. Rural communities used to gather them in the wild, and to some extent, they were even traded on markets. These plants have specific characteristics in regard to colour, taste, flavor and texture. Sometimes, we stumble upon them, and then we indulge.
Why are these plants disappearing?
The most important reason is deforestation. Our old woodlands have a rich biodiversity, but they are disappearing. Traditionally, people’s diets relied on some of the plants that grow in such forests. Most of the plants are nutrient rich, stores of essential vitamins, fibres, minerals et cetera.
Some plants were part of the traditional diet in rural communities.
Paulina S. Addy Departmental Head, Agriculture Ministry, GhanaPlease give some examples of vanishing foods.
Well, guavas (1) are a relatively prominent example, and they are becoming rare in Ghana. Another previously quite common fruit is the forest custard apple. Talinum leaveswere popular. Some varieties of cassava and yam are disappearing too.
But cassava and yam are cultivated in the fields, aren’t they?
Yes, they are, but some varieties used to be collected in the wild. Bear in mind that these plants are part of the natural ecosystem, and that is true of opportunity crops too. Because they are well adapted to the circumstances it would make very good sense to cultivate them systematically with the support of scientific research. Doing so would be promising, particularly in environmental terms. The goal should be to breed varieties that cope with increasingly dangerous climate risks, including drought, heat, storms and flooding. Once a specific variety is gone, however, that becomes impossible.
What is driving deforestation? I imagine the population is growing, so villagers want to expand their fields.
Well, that is happening, but it is only a minor problem. The big challenge is mining for sand, minerals including gold. We see both legal and illegal mining. Forests are being destroyed fast, and the impact on poor rural communities is harsh. They include the dwindling of water resources in both quality and quantity. There obviously is less firewood too. Rural women and girls are bearing the brunt because they spend more and more time fetching water, collecting firewood and looking for increasingly rare food items. Unfortunately, their families’ diets are becoming less diverse – and, as a consequence – also less healthy.
Is it possible to assess the loss in monetary terms?
No, we unfortunately do not have that kind of data. Statisticians do not survey the diets of poor people. It is actually even difficult to monitor their spending. Most people don’t write down what they buy at what point in time and what prices they pay. But what we do know, is that they increasingly must purchase food. Since they do not have much money, they cannot afford diets of the same diversity that they used to enjoy. Rice, wheat and maize are becoming increasingly important, but they are also costly.
What is driving this trend?
Well, these staple foods are sold as commodities internationally, so the world market basically makes them available at any time. However, the prices are volatile, reflecting global trends. Transport costs matter too. It also matters that many people feel that these internationally used staples, which mark the food systems of high-income countries, are somehow superior to traditional African crops, some of which may even be looked down upon as a “poor person’s food”.
And that is happening at a time when poor people’ diets are indeed getting poorer?
Yes, exactly. When households at the bottom of the economic ladder must buy everything or most of their food, they spend a large share of their income on cereals. Accordingly, they lack nutrients like proteins, vitamins, minerals et cetera. They need them, but cereals hardly contain them. Generally speaking, traditional rural diets were much healthier. It is also true in urban areas, where economic life is more monetised so people have to buy the food they need. We see a trend of even more people buying processed meals from street vendors. That is not healthy either, because those meals typically contain too much sugar, salt and fat. Very poor urban families, moreover, like rural ones, also use up most of their money to purchase food and get mainly carbohydrates and fats.
Who can – and should – stem deforestation?
In the past, local committees paid attention to these things. Unfortunately, they have been losing their grip. Poverty is a major problem. In Ghana’s north, for example, shea trees are not supposed to be cut. Nonetheless, people are felling them to make charcoal, which they sell. The obvious implication is that they will not be able to harvest shea nuts from those trees, so they will be producing less shea butter. You cannot really blame them for being keen on the short-term benefits of selling charcoal, however, because they are motivated by desperate economic need.
So is shea butter a vanishing food?
With accelerating deforestation, it will certainly become rare. Shea trees actually take a long time to grow and can live for 300 years. Even if you plant one for each tree you cut down, it will take a long time to restore what is lost.
Is Ghana’s government doing anything to protect forests?
Yes, it is. For economic reasons, however, the focus is mostly on commercial afforestation, which results in fast growing monocultures. In terms of biodiversity, the plantations do not compare to old-growth forests.
Do you see a role for the international community?
Yes, I do, because its influence is strong. Our authorities – whether traditional or governmental – should see the big picture, and international partners can contribute to making them do so. Far too often, the needs of the weakest sections of society are neglected.
Interview: Hans Dembowski.
Footnote:
1) Guava and Cassava (as well as plants such as maize, tomatoes or potatoes) were introduced by the Portuguese from South America to Africa, where they have been established as traditional crops for centuries.
