Traditional/Indigenous Vegetables of the Kingdom of Eswatini: Biodiversity and Their Importance: A Review

Abstract

Traditional (indigenous) vegetables of the Kingdom of Eswatini are important for their contribution to human nutrition. They are major sources of vitamins and minerals. They provide fibre which is required for the proper functioning of the human digestive system. Traditional vegetables are important economically however, no assessments have been done in the Kingdom of Eswatini to measure their contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP). A traditional vegetable concern provides employment and thus income, and ensuring food and nutritional security, and hence striving to attain sustainable development goals (SDGs) pertaining to human health, nutrition, food security and biodiversity. Traditional vegetables are infested relatively less by insect pests and diseases. They relatively out compete weeds in terms of resources essential for growth and development. In food, traditional vegetables provide interesting colour, texture and variety. Despite the immense importance of traditional vegetables, they have been neglected and regarded as poor man's food with no research prioritisation. The objective of this study was to explore their present status, prioritize consumer education, explore their importance as climate smart vegetables and to document their contribution to biodiversity.

Decolonization of Indigenous/Traditional Vegetables of the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Southern African Development Community

“…Traditional vegetables are important in many aspects. They are important historically, commercially, nutritionally and culturally [20]. They provide employment, fibre to the human diet, are a source of biodiversity and in the food they are a source of interesting colour which is potentially appetising [7,21,22].…”

“…Traditional vegetables have been important to the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Southern Africa Region from a historical perspective [20]. The vegetables were the only ones that the native people knew and consumed before the coming of settlers from Europe.…”

“…It is against this background that there is an urgent need to bring traditional vegetables into the formal market of agricultural products and additionally get statistics recorded. There is also a need to give traditional vegetables a clean bill of health and classify them differently under phytosanitary regulations [14,20,28].…”

Antimicrobial Activity of Pinus wallachiana Leaf Extracts against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense and Analysis of Its Fractions by HPLC

“…Additionally, these secondary metabolites e.g., terpenoids, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, phenylpropanoids and flavanoids etc. are vital materials in the manufacture of sundry fungicides and pesticides [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Secondary metabolites signify the adaptive potential of plants against biotic and abiotic stresses [ 16 ].…”

Antimicrobial Activity of Pinus Wallachiana Against Fusarium Oxysporum f. sp. Cubense and Analysis of its Fractions by HPLC

“…Additionally, these secondary metabolites e.g. terpenoids, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, phenylpropanoids, and avanoids, etc are vital materials in the manufacture of sundry fungicides and pesticides [11][12][13][14][15] . Secondary metabolites signify the adaptive potential of plants against biotic and abiotic stresses 16 .…”