Contribution of African indigenous plants to human and animal nutrition security: Insight from the use of baobab in Northwestern Nigeria

Abstract

In this study, we looked into how the baobab, an indigenous plant of Africa, affected households of Hausa-Fulani in Northwestern Nigeria's nutrition security. The study employed a mixed data set from 239 households. Specifically, we looked at how baobab contributed to the nutritional security of children under the age of five and how baobab was used to manage livestock. We also described the features of Hausa-Fulani families in Northwestern Nigeria. The data were analyzed using multinomial regression models and descriptive statistics. The Focus Group Discussion showed that baobab enhances a child's nutritional status. The multinomial regression analysis supported this since baobab consumption was found to positively influence weight gain. Numerous ethnoveterinary functions of baobab were also reported. It was concluded that baobab contributes significantly to the nutritional security of households in the study area. We thus urge the use of baobab for food bio-fortification and the necessity for research to boost the indigenous food systems of Africa. The result of this study will help encourage the utilization of baobab plant parts in the fortification of diets and strengthen the value chain system of the plant.

Keywords

• Baobab
• Food security
• Nutrition
• Biofortification

Afrika yerli bitkilerinin insan ve hayvan beslenme güvenliğine katkısı: Kuzeybatı Nijerya’da baobab kullanımından içgörü

Öz

Bu çalışmada, Afrika’nın yerli bir bitkisi olan baobab’ın, Kuzeybatı Nijerya da yer alan Hausa-Fulani’de yaşayan hane halklarının beslenme güvenliğini nasıl etkilediği incelenmiştir. Çalışmada 239 haneden elde edilen karma veri seti kullanılmıştır. Çalışmada özellikle, baobab’ın beş yaşın altındaki çocukların beslenme güvenliğine nasıl katkıda bulunduğu ve baobabın çiftlik hayvanlarını yönetmek için nasıl kullanıldığı incelenmiştir. Hausa-Fulani ailelerinin özelliklerinin de incelendiği çalışmada, veriler, çok terimli regresyon modelleri ve tanımlayıcı istatistikler kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Odak Grup toplantılarından elde edilen bilgiler, baobab’ın çocukların beslenme durumunu iyileştirdiği tespit edilirken, çok terimli regresyon analiz sonuçlarına göre, Baobab tüketiminin kilo alımını olumlu yönde etkilediği belirlenmiştir. Baobabın çok sayıda etno-veteriner işlevi rapor edilirken, Baobab’ın araştırma alanındaki hanelerin beslenme güvenliğine önemli katkı sağladığı sonucuna varılmıştır. Bu nedenle, gıda biyo-zenginleştirmesi için baobab kullanımı ve Afrika'nın yerel gıda sistemlerini desteklemek için bu bitkinin daha fazla araştırılması gerektiği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Bu çalışmadan elde edilen sonuçlar, baobab bitkisi parçalarının diyetlerin zenginleştirilmesinde kullanılmasını teşvik etmeye ve bitkinin değer zinciri sistemini güçlendirmeye yardımcı olacaktır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Baobab
• Gıda güvenliği
• Besin
• Biofortification

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