DIVERSIFYING FOOD SYSTEMS: Learning and Innovation in Horticultural Value Chains to Improve the Livelihood Situation of Rural and Urban Poor in Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania (HORTINLEA)

In Kenya, African indigenous vegetables (AIV) are increasingly popular staples in the diet of local people. They are rich in health promoting compounds (IPGRI, 2003) and assist in combating micronutrient deficiencies and malnutrition (also known as hidden hunger). AIVs also contribute to food security and income generation among the subsistence and semi-commercial farmers in Kenya and Africa. Among AIVs many legumes have been recommended for soil fertility improvement and weed suppression. Multiple uses of legumes have fostered their adoption. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.) is the most important food legume grown in the tropical Savanna zones of Africa. The mature grain contains 23-25% protein, 50-67% starch, B vitamins such as folic acid which is important in preventing birth defects, and essential micronutrients including iron, calcium, and zinc. Although a significant amount of cowpea is commercialized, it plays a critical subsistence role in the diet of many households in Africa, providing nutrients that are deficient in cereals. Subproject: Development of integrated pest management strategies for the production of important vegetable crops in Kenya AIV production is constrained by pests and diseases which severely impacts the quantity and quality available in the value chain. For example, Root-knot Nematodes (RKN) are major pests of vegetable crops (Hassan et al., 2010) which cause between 5-12% yield losses globally (Sikora and Fernandez, 2005). Nchore et al. (2011) and Muturi et al. (2010) reported RKN disease incidences of up to 60% on African nightshades (AFNS) in parts of Kenya. Similar severe yield reductions, based on a complex of arthropod pests and diseases, have been reported on important local vegetables such as African leafy vegetables and legumes. Pests and diseases lead commonly to an overuse of chemical pesticides in small scale and commercial production systems, causing well-known toxicological and environmental problems. More sustainable integrated pest and disease management is therefore a high priority, furthering the production of healthy vegetables. Focusing on important vegetable crops in Kenya, the integrated pest management group objectives are to develop sustainable management strategies for a) Root-knot Nematode pests, viruses and phytoplasmas on African nightshades, b) cowpea insect pests and c) insect pests and diseases on leafy indigenous vegetables in Kenya. As vegetable crops face damage through pests and diseases during every stage of their life cycle the overall aim of the intervention is to identify infection pathways, in order to develop integrated pest and disease control strategies for increased yield and to ensure crop quality. The relevance of intervention to the objectives of the project (output) is given by increasing knowledge, developing adequate management strategies and affordable solutions, which will improve vegetable production and thereby further increase income opportunities and access to nutritive vegetables. The research and technical goals of the intervention are twofold: to document severity and incidence of diseases and pests on selected vegetables, and generate knowledge on sustainable management of major arthropod pests, nematodes and viral diseases leading to their increased yields and supply.

Subproject: Quality assurance and preservation of African vegetables during postharvest for reducing food losses and improving nutritional value, storability and food safety (Qualit?tssicherung und Konservierung heimischer afrikanischer Gemüsearten zur Reduzierung von Qualit?tsverlusten, Verbesserung der Nahrungsmittelsicherheit, des N?hrwertes und Lagereignung).
Currently, the magnitude of postharvest losses of ALVs in Kenya can reach up to 50% and are attributed to inadequate conditions during production and to rapid decay of products during transport, storage and marketing. Inadequate postharvest handling and facilities for storage and transport, inappropriate processing methods for product preservation, insufficient hygiene conditions in the markets and poor infrastructure aggravate these problems, causing massive losses along “the field to consumer” chain. Moreover, there is also a lack of quality control and food safety regulations, calling for regulatory policies and mechanisms. In many parts in Africa, subsistence smallholder farmers cannot afford construction of expensive cold storage facilities and/or the use of refrigerated trucks, thus after harvesting ALVs, simple methods (shading products, charcoal cooler storage facilities) are applied. The commonly used, local preservation methods include blanching, air-drying, solar-drying and fermentation. Thus, the overall aim is to identify and characterize quality losses during the entire food supply chain (from smallholder farmer to consumer) and to improve product quality, safety and storability. This will be conducted by adopting affordable harvest techniques, postharvest treatments and processing technologies, as well as by implementing emerging technologies for optimizing transport and storage conditions under unfavorable conditions in order to strengthen a product safety oriented food supply, which in turn will increase availability and access to high nutritive and safe food of indigenous ALVs in rural and urban/peri-urban areas along the entire food supply chain. Postharvest industries will also be affected by the availability of regulatory mechanisms related to food safety. Further goals of the intervention will be the development of recommendations for food safety oriented harvest techniques, postharvest handling procedures and processing technologies for ALVs for utilization by all stakeholders of the food supply chain (smallholders, trader, consumer).