Conserving indigenous knowledge as the key to the current and future use of traditional vegetables

Abstract

Indigenous knowledge erodes rapidly. When the loss of this knowledge negatively affects the lives and health of traditionally living rural communities, a drive to conserve indigenous knowledge becomes vital. This article argues that the transfer of indigenous knowledge on traditional vegetables will ensure the availability and utilisation of this important food source for resource-poor rural communities. Data collected on the present use of traditional vegetables at a rural Xhosa village in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa documented indigenous practices of traditional vegetable use and measured attitudes and perceptions of young women. Findings revealed that although traditional vegetables are readily available, there is a decline in the use of traditional vegetables in this village. Since the loss of associated indigenous knowledge is a reality, and in view of the negative attitude towards traditional vegetables, future use of this valuable food source is threatened. The transfer of the associated indigenous knowledge holds the key to the potential future use of traditional vegetables. Altered perceptions of traditional vegetables are crucial for the conservation of the associated indigenous knowledge. As a result awareness campaigns to promote the use of traditional vegetables, related nutritional education, including proper cooking and preservation techniques are necessary.

Introduction

“It is recognised that a major threat to the sustainability of natural resources is the erosion of people's knowledge, and the basic reason for this erosion is the low value attached to it. The erosion of people's knowledge associated with natural resources is under greater threat than the erosion of natural resources themselves” (Odora Hoppers, 2002, p. 7).

Indigenous knowledge involves knowledge about survival that is possessed by local people in their communities and is passed on from generation to generation (Kaya & Masoga, 2005). This knowledge is found in both rural and urban communities and deals with issues concerning the survival of the community, the protection and use of the local environment, and food security. Indigenous knowledge is found in different areas such as agriculture, social welfare, peace building and conflict resolution, medicine and food technology (Odora Hoppers, 2004). Indigenous knowledge is mostly undocumented and therefore at risk of being lost to future generations (Kaya & Masoga, 2005). Like many other types of indigenous knowledge systems the knowledge about traditional vegetables is vanishing and this situation warrants immediate action to retain or regain it (Aphane, Chadha, & Oluoch, 2003, pp. 1–17). Traditional vegetables are gathered from both cultivated and uncultivated lands and the knowledge about traditional vegetables is passed on from generation to generation as part of the indigenous knowledge system of the community (Lwoga, Ngulube, & Stilwell, 2010). Traditional vegetables, which are edible plants that are used as vegetables, are part of traditional production systems and local knowledge. These plants have been used locally over a number of years, but did not necessarily originate in that particular area (Keller et al., 2004, Keller et al., 2005). Indigenous vegetables are those edible plants that are biologically indigenous to an area, while introduced vegetables are those vegetables that have been introduced into a particular area and have not physiologically adjusted to the local conditions and subsequently require many agricultural inputs. Indigenised vegetables have adapted (indigenised) to local conditions after their introduction, with the result that they are considered as local. Examples of indigenised vegetables are maize, pumpkins and sweet potatoes (Laker, 2007, p. 311; Nesamvuni, 2000, p. 14). In this study the term ‘traditional vegetables’ is used to refer to both indigenous and indigenised vegetables, while the term ‘introduced vegetables’ refers to exotic vegetables that have not adapted to local conditions and require high inputs to thrive.

It is reported that in South Africa alone more than 100 different species of plants are used as traditional vegetables. The importance of traditional vegetables lies in their high nutritional value and their ability to thrive under adverse conditions (Lephole, 2004, Modi et al., 2006, Nesamvuni, 2000, Van Vuuren, 2006, pp. 22–25). Traditional vegetables and traditionally grown crops grow well during drought periods and in areas with low or unreliable rainfall, which is the case in many parts of South Africa. Traditional vegetables can survive poor soils, require less inputs and resources during production and are often available at times when introduced vegetables such as spinach and cabbage are not. Traditional vegetables require less chemical fertilizers and pesticides since they have adapted well to local growing conditions (Lephole, 2004, Modi et al., 2006, Nesamvuni, 2000, Van Vuuren, 2006, pp. 22–25).

The consumption of traditional vegetables is decreasing – even in the rural areas of South Africa – in favour of introduced vegetables. The neglect by both policy makers and researchers has led to the scarcity of information on traditional vegetables (Aphane et al., 2003, Jansen van Rensburg et al., 2007a, pp. 317–324). Since documentation on traditional vegetables is scarce, elderly people remain the most valuable sources of information. The fear exists that if nothing is done to conserve valuable information on traditional vegetables this information may soon disappear from society, because the youth are generally reluctant to gain such knowledge (Vorster, Jansen van Rensburg, Van Zijl, & Venter, 2007b). The youth's resistance to accepting indigenous knowledge is embedded in the negative attitudes associated with practices that appear outdated and unpopular, contrasted against perceived acceptable knowledge systems that have historically rejected indigenous knowledge systems. Through the global move to rediscovering indigenous knowledge and the systems that govern it, the practical and cognitive heritage of people around the world are regained to provide new insights into human society (Hountondji, 1977, p. 35).

This article argues that the transfer of indigenous knowledge on traditional vegetables will ensure that the availability and utilisation of traditional vegetables will be maintained as an important food source for resource-poor rural communities. Furthermore, the transfer of the indigenous knowledge associated with traditional vegetables to the younger generation holds the key to the potential future use of traditional vegetables.