Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) in a refugee context in East Africa: Kitchen gardening helps with mineral provision

Abstract

Kitchen gardening is considered a way to reconnect with agriculture and complement the cereal-based relief food offered to refugees in East Africa. This work aimed at profiling mineral content of okra in four refugee camps and settlements located in Ethiopia and Uganda and its contribution to adequate intake (AIs) or recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) for young children and pregnant and lactating women (PLW). The study also evaluated the applicability of portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) as compared with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for mineral profiling of okra powder samples. The contents of minerals (mg kg−1) from the ICP-MS readings were in the following ranges: K (14,385–33,294), Ca (2610–14,090), P (3178–13,248), Mg (3896–7986), Cu (3.81–19.3), Fe (75.7–1243), Zn (33–141) and Mn (23.1–261). Regardless of geographic origin, at low-end consumption probability (17 g day−1 for young children and 68 g day−1 for PLW), okra could contribute ˂ 15% (2.7–12.9%) AI for macro-minerals (K and Ca). In addition, the contributions to RDA values for Fe and Zn, elements of known public health interest, ranged from 4.5 to 34.7% for young children. Interestingly, regression lines revealed strong agreement between ICP-MS and PXRF readings for Mn and Zn, with R2 values > 0.91. This information is useful in support of nutrition-sensitive kitchen gardening programs through scaling culturally important crops in refugee settings.

Estimating the potential of spices for mineral provision in a refugee context in East Africa

“…Hence, micronutrient deficiency remains an enormous problem in refugee settings [3,4]. Among the numerous approaches towards reducing micronutrient deficiency in a refugee context, transforming refugees' food systems through the scaling up of kitchen gardening for the production of socially acceptable and nutrient-dense food crops is perceived as a sustainable solution [5,6]. In addition, fortifying relief food crops with minor food components including nutrient-dense spices can help improve the quality of staple foods in a refugee setting.…”

“…It is now well established that mineral deficiency or excessive intakes of potentially toxic metal(loid)s could be deleterious to human health [14,15]. In fact, refugees traditionally use a wide range of local food resources and spices in their daily diets [6]. However, the potential contribution of locally available spices for food-to-spice fortification towards better nutrition have rarely been considered.…”