Nokuthula Vilakati
On December 20, 2013, the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly passed an adopted resolution declaring 2016 the International Year of the Pulse. Pulses – which include dried beans, chickpeas and lentils – are a good source of protein and amino acids, and are a critical part of the food basket. They are important for food security, health and nutrition.
The resolution was adopted to reap the benefits pulses have on the environment, increasing soil fertility. Nutritionally, they also assist in maintaining a healthy weight, and prevent and manage chronic diseases.
Due to the increasing concerns for the environment, food security, health and nutrition, pulses are one of the best foods to feed the millions of people suffering from chronic hunger, micro-nutrient deficiencies and chronic diseases.
The majority of people suffering live in Africa. These concerns are set against a background of a continent that has the ability to produce its own rich diversity of nutritious plant foods and crops like pulses that could play a far more significant role in solving malnutrition in Africa.
For example, indigenous cereals and pulses such as sorghum and cowpea which grow well where other crops fail, such as in arid and semi-arid areas, can be used.
Dry beans, dry broad beans, dry peas, chickpeas, dry cow peas, pigeon peas, lentils, bambara beans, vetches and lupins are all plant foods which belong to the family of legumes.
The term legume is used to refer to foods enclosed in a pod and pulses are only a subgroup of the legume family which is used in its dried seed form.
Besides being a good source of protein, pulses are good sources of fibre, calcium, iron and vitamins B, E and K.
Depending on their genetic make-up, pulses can grow in extreme climatic conditions where other foods are difficult to find.
Pulses make up most of the average diet in developing countries due to their low cost.
Even though the production and consumption of pulses has declined, they form almost 4 percent of the major crops grown in the world.
In Africa, the term indigenous food crops does not refer only to food crops from the continent, they include crops that have been introduced and are recognised as naturalised or traditional crops.
An example of this are the pulses originally from Asia now considered to be indigenous to Africa.
The most commonly consumed pulses in South Africa are cowpeas and mung bean produced in Limpopo, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West and KwaZulu-Natal.
Cowpea, a nutritional food, is mostly consumed by small-holding farmers in South Africa.
In South Africa, sorghum and cowpea have good potential. They produce higher yields than less resistant crops like maize and wheat. But they are produced in smaller quantities by subsistence farmers for home consumption.
The decrease in use of indigenous foods is mainly as a result of dietary changes due to nutrition transition.
One in four children in South Africa have also been found to be too short for their age – their growth is stunted. One in three people in the country are also faced with hunger due to food insecurity.
All these signs of faltering growth begin in early childhood. More so, a considerably larger proportion of South Africa’s population has been said to experience what is termed hidden hunger.
This kind of hunger is characterised by growing numbers of overweight, obesity and micro-nutrient malnutrition, which can easily be solved by providing a cheaper, yet good source of nutrition from plant foods like pulses.
The desire for convenience, driven by urbanisation and nutrition transition, has increased the consumption of highly processed, less nutritious foods.
The high processing and refining of foods unfortunately come at a higher cost to consumers.
The availability of convenient, Westernised diets has led to the neglect of healthier and less expensive locally available food options.
These Westernised diets offer high levels of energy and a low micro-nutrient content, leading to overweight, obesity and micro-nutrient malnutrition.
Foods indigenous to Africa, however, have the ability to provide adequate nutrition. Currently, the use of indigenous food is slowly diminishing. Indigenous foods are mainly used by small-holding farmers for their own consumption and produced in smaller quantities.
There is a need for greater creativity in identifying ways to assist government interventions for the malnutrition problem. Pulses like cowpea can be used as a cheaper source for nutrition.
The South African government is using interventions like the supplementation of vitamins, the fortification of processed flour and bread, and child-support grants to deal with malnutrition.
In a recent study we found that 40 percent of children between the ages of two and five could get their required protein intake in a readymade meal, which included sorghum and cowpea. Proper marketing and reintroduction of indigenous foods can help increase its use.
The same mix can also provide essential amino acids like lysine, which is typically missing in maize. Lysine is an essential amino acid because it cannot be synthesised by the body, but can be obtained only through diet. It can also provide children aged two to five with the recommended iron and zinc.
Africa needs to make more use of indigenous foods in the Year of the Pulse. Indigenous foods are climate-resilient and have a low-carbon footprint.
lVilakati has done postdoctoral research at the Institute for Food, Nutrition and Well-being, University of Pretoria.
This article first appeared in The Conversation.