Because of its nutritional excellence and ease of cultivation, this leaf vegetable deserves greater use and research attention. Its high content of proteins, vitamins and minerals needs to be communicated to consumers in order to stimulate the demand for its production. This crop has C4-type photosynthesis and is therefore productive under hot and dry conditions, a trait of increasing value in the face of climate change.

[Photo courtesy Forest & Kim Starr]

Cleome gynandra (flowers). Location: Maui, Kanaha Beach

Cleome gynandra (flowers). Location: Maui, Kanaha Beach

Caigua or achojcha is widely used in the highlands of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. This annual climber has also been grown for quite some time in mountainous habitats in Bhutan, Nepal and North-Eastern India, for subsistence and commercial uses. The fruit has a large cavity that can be easily stuffed, hence it is also called “pepino de rellenar” in South America.

Cyclanthera pedata: from the Andes to the Himalayas

Fruits of Cyclanthera pedata (Cucurbitaceae) in Bhutan

Cross section of the fruits of Cyclanthera pedata (Cucurbitaceae)

Seeds of Cyclanthera pedata (Cucurbitaceae)

Breadfruit is to be found everywhere in the tropics, and can produce much food with no human intervention, but except for Oceania is hardly ever used to any significant extent (except as an ornamental tree). Breadfruit has been an important staple crop and component of traditional agroforestry systems in the Pacific for more than 3,000 years. Hundreds of varieties have been cultivated. Both the fruits as well the mature seeds have great nutritional value, but convenience products with attractive texture, taste and colour need to be developed to promote the use of this species.

Three new papers on breadfruit (Artocarpus sp.)
The Breadfruit Institute, National Tropical Botanical Garden

Fruit of Artocarpus altilis (breadfruit)

Breadfruit tree in Palmira Valle del Cauca Colombia

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis), Malaysia

Never write off a minor crop! Once a staple in prehistoric Peru but going nearly extinct there because of the inconvenience for direct use (in particular extremely long cooking time), this root crop has bounced back in the last 50 years – not in its native range, but in Vietnam and Southern China. Gels made from canna starch have extraordinary tensile strength, making it the preferred raw material of popular transparent noodles. Currently grown on some 50,000 ha of marginal land in Vietnam and China, canna allows poor farmers to derive profit from minimal investments and from land unsuited for food crops.

Edible Canna (Canna edulis) in North Vietnam

Canna noodles (Canna edulis)

Canna starch noodles (Canna edulis)

Aided by public research investments, this root from the Andean highlands has made a remarkable transition from utter neglect to market prominence. Rarely seen in the fields of poor farmers just a few years ago, yacon is now widely consumed in its native range. It has also emerged as a novel crop in various Asian countries, where the succulent and crunchy texture of the roots is much liked. Critical for the success of yacon was the discovery that its roots are an excellent source of nutritionally desirable oligo-fructose. The leaves also contain anti-hyperglycemic principles and are used as tea.

Andean roots and tubers: Ahipa, arracacha, maca and yacon

Yacon roots (Smallanthus sonchifolius)

Yacon flower (Smallanthus sonchifolius)

Yacon rootstock (Smallanthus sonchifolius)

No longer available from its shrinking forest habitat, this liana has been taken into cultivation by farmers in mountainous North Vietnam. The distinctive taste and texture of this leaf vegetable also appeals to urban gourmets. CFF has assisted farmers with developing propagation methods of bo khai and building equitable value chains.

CoDI project in Bac Kan, Vietnam

Bo khai (Erythropalum scandens) leaves and fruits

Bo Khai (Erythropalum scandens) growing near rural homestead

Propagation of bo khai (Erythropalum scandens) via cuttings

Sacha Inchi is an indigenous species from the Amazon that produces edible seeds with a high content of Omega fatty acids. This property has caught the attention of the international natural products market, providing in recent years income opportunities for indigenous communities, who traditionally use sacha inchi as a food. Both the seeds of sacha inchi as well as its seed oil from production sites in Peru are offered by a number of companies. However, the EU Novel Food Catalogue does not list sacha inchi, possibly a bad omen, as this species appears not to have been traded in the EU prior 1997 and therefore may not be authorised in the EU.
More information on EU Novel Food Regulation.

Amazonian species with edible seeds, location: Pucallpa, Ucayali, Peru

Plukenetia volubilis fruits

Experimental cultivation of Plukenetia volubilis at INIEA station

Selection of cucurbits of the South Korean Genebank in Suwon

The cucurbits or gourd family contains many minor crop species, most of which evolved in the Old World. Seen on this image is a selection of cucurbits of the South Korean Genebank in Suwon, including luffas (Luffa cylindrica), wax gourds (Benincasa hispida), bottle gourds (Lagenaria siceraria), snake gourds (Trichosanthes cucumerina) and pumpkins and squash (Cucurbita sp.).

Popping beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)

Popping beans, or ñuñas as they are called in Peru, belong to an indeterminately growing varietal group of common beans, whose seeds expand upon toasting. They are a popular snack in parts of Peru and Ecuador, but little known outside their very limited “insular” distribution. While the plant is virtually indistinguishable from regular beans, the seeds of ñuñas tend to be round and opaque. Traditionally, ñuñas have been grown in association with maize, but high-yielding maize is susceptible to logging under the weight of the bean vines. A breeding programme at INIA, Peru, is selecting superior material from farmer selections showing early maturity and determinate growth, in the hope that such selections would succeed in market-oriented cropping systems.

Drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera)

With edible leaves and pods and a variety of other uses, this deep-rooted species is very hardy and often seen in backyard gardens. Good market demand is quite obviously behind the well-managed orchard shown in this photograph.