Major Production Constraints and Spider Plant [Gynandropsis gynandra (L.) Briq.] Traits Preferences Amongst Smallholder Farmers of Northern Namibia and Central Malawi

Abstract

Spider plant (Gynandropsis gynandra (L.) Briq.) is among the most important African Leafy Vegetables (ALVs) as a source of essential nutrients with the potential of contributing significantly to household food and nutritional security and mitigation of hidden hunger. Nevertheless, the vegetable is considered an orphan crop and its production is challenged by inadequate research to identify and improve traits preferred by smallholder farmers. The research was conducted to identify the main challenges impacting the production of spider plants and identify traits preferred by smallholder farmers in northern Namibia and central Malawi for use in demand-led crop improvement. Semi-structured interviews involving a random selection of 197 farming households from five regions of northern Namibia and three districts of central Malawi were conducted. In addition, six key informant interviews and four focus group discussions were conducted to triangulate the findings. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20. Fischer's exact test was used to test for independence in the ranking of production constraints and agronomic traits, while Kendall's Coefficient of Concordance (W) was used to measure agreement levels in the ranking across the countries. Farmers indicated lack of seed, poor soil fertility, poor seed germination and drought as the main production challenges across the two countries. Production constraints were ranked differently (p < 0.001) across the study sites suggesting the influence of biophysical and socio-economic factors associated with production. High yield and drought tolerance were considered the most important agronomic traits among the smallholder farmers in both countries. The findings of this study are useful for designing demand-driven pre-breeding trials that prioritize the needs of the end-users. Demand-led breeding has the potential to stimulate the production and utilization of spider plant, hence contributing to household food and nutritional security.

Eco-Friendly Solutions: Integrating Wild Vegetables for Sustainable Agriculture Food Security and Human Health

“…Flavonoids, vital ions, polyphenols, and terpenoids are among the dietary polyphenolic phytochemicals found in the leaves that help maintain good health (Chataika et al, 2022;Moyo and Aremu, 2022).The oil from the seeds contains a lot of polyunsaturated fats, which are highly beneficial to health and may also be produced by manual pressing (Mnzava, 1990). It has been established that this specific source is both widely accessible and reasonably priced (Uusiku et al, 2010;Aworh, 2015).…”

The concurrent impacts of drought and leaf harvesting on two traditional African vegetable non-timber forest product species

“…This is particularly so in light of climate change which will have marked effects on the nature, timing and amount of precipitation across much of sub-Saharan Africa, with an intensification of the frequency and intensity of droughts. However, there is still limited research on the effects of drought stress on TAVs [38][39][40]. Also, drought is experienced not just in terms of the reduction in the amount of rainfall but also as a decrease in the frequency of rainfall, and this variation in the expression of drought should be integrated into the investigation on the drought tolerance of wild and cultivated species.…”

Morpho-physiological and biochemical characterization of African spider plant (Gynandropsis gynandra (L.) Briq.) genotypes under drought and non-drought conditions

“…G. gynandra is an essential leafy vegetable for achieving food security for households in remote regions of several African countries including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Namibia and Botswana ( Mbugua et al., 2011 ; Keatinge et al., 2015 ). African spider plant has been found naturally thriving in seven of South Africa’s nine provinces; KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape Limpopo, Northwest ( Chataika et al., 2022 ; Moyo and Aremu, 2022 ).…”

“…The leaves of G. gynandra are also high in proteins and fatty acids ( Mnzava, 1990 ; Van Der Walt et al, 2009 ), as well as essential amino acids (histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, valine). Furthermore, spider plant has a variety of health-promoting secondary metabolites, including flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins, glucosinolates, aldehydes, ketones, sesquiterpenes, and several other phenolic compounds ( Neugart et al., 2017 ; Sogbohossou et al., 2020 ; Somers et al., 2020 ; Chataika et al., 2022 ) with various therapeutic applications (plant extracts, drugs, etc.). The species is a valuable resource for the pharmaceutical industry because its extracts have antimicrobial (fungi and bacteria), anthelmintic ( Ajaiyeoba et al., 2001 ), antimalarial ( Igoli et al., 2016 ), hepatoprotective ( Lakshmi Narsimhulu et al., 2019 ), antiarthritic ( Narendhirakannan et al., 2005 ), antioxidant, anti-inflammatory ( Chandradevan et al., 2020 ), immunomodulatory ( Kori et al., 2009 ), antinociceptive ( Ghogare et al., 2009 ), anticancer ( Bala et al., 2010 ), antidiabetic ( Ravichandra et al., 2014 ), and vasodilatory ( Runnie et al., 2004 ) properties.…”