Why Vegetables are Better for Dealing With Malnutrition

Encouraging women in the developing world to grow their own vegetables can be a step on the way to ridding the world of malnutrition. The World Vegetable Centre, a not-for-profit research institute, aims to alleviate poverty and malnutrition in the developing world through increased production of vegetables.

One of its projects aims to increase the number of people growing their own vegetables in their own gardens, pointing out that a space just 36m square can feed a family of four with a year if planted properly.

The centre makes the point that the main cause of malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa in particular is vitamin and mineral deficiency – a lack of vitamin A, iron and zinc, most of which can be found in fruit and vegetables. So while crops of wheat and rice are important for feeding people, the centre believes vegetables are equally if not more essential.

It is estimated that almost one billion people go hungry across the world every day. In the developing world, growing and marketing vegetables has become a route for women to become self-sufficient as part of millennium development goals to improve women’s health and empowerment.

The World Vegetable Centre’s project to encourage people to grow their own vegetables focuses on developing community gardens, often in urban areas, to boost social cohesion and support communities, as well as providing people with essential nourishment over the course of the year.

The issue of climate is, of course, hugely important in what kind of vegetables can be grown in tropical countries as increased salt, high temperatures, flooding and drought will all have an effect on crops.

To that end, the World Vegetable Centre is embarking on various research projects to identify which plants are more suited for growing in which nation. With most agricultural research and investment is on carbohydrate-rich crops such as rice, maize and wheat, the centre is now putting its focus on directing and sourcing funds into more vegetable growing, which offer the micronutrients essential for good health.