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Tina Musonza Herald Correspondent
Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Zimbabwe has urged Africans, especially young people, to adopt behavioural changes in their consumption of traditional food which has been proven to be healthier than genetically modified modern food.
According to food and agriculture research done in 2014, there is considerable potential for economic success linked to traditional and indigenous which is facilitated by smallholder farmers.
Zimbabwe has been recognised as a leading country among those promoting the consumption of African Food under the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa(AFSA) a programme which attracted 13 African countries which include Zambia, Mozambique, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Senegal, and DRC among others.
Speaking during the My Food is African(MFA)campaign led by PELUM under AFSA held recently in Harare, MFA country coordinator Mrs Bertha Nherera commended the First Lady Dr Auxilia Mnangagwa for taking a lead in the promotion of indigenous foods.
“Zimbabwe is leading because we have people at the political level who are influencing the consumption of traditional food. The First Lady Dr Auxilia Mngangagwa has been leading in promoting the consumption of traditional food. It is my first time in Africa to see a First Lady driving the lead in promoting traditional food and that is a big step for Zimbabwe,” said Mrs Nherera
She said the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development was also in support of the consumption of traditional food but there was a need for people to change their behaviour in consumption.
Mrs Nherera people had to change their behaviour and promote the consumption of mopane worms, vegetables in peanut butter sauce as well as traditional grains like sorghum and finger millet as staple foods since there are more nutrients contained which ensures a balanced diet.
She said Zimbabwe was achieving milestones in traditional food consumption but there was a need to make it mandatory that traditional food is being accessed in supermarkets for easy access.
“There has been a gap in the market of traditional places and I think we can have a place where we can sell traditional foods with quality and affordable prices.
“The major challenge is that traditional foods are limited in supermarkets and this has resulted in a narrow consumption.
“If we can have traditional food in upmarket places it will increase access to traditional food and consumption,” she said
Consumer Council of Zimbabwe chief executive Ms Rosemary Chikarakara said price hikes for traditional food where it was accessible was still a challenge.
“As a board that works with stakeholders in the food sector, we realised that consumers are willing to buy small grains where they are available but they are expensive. There is a need to produce more small traditional grains to increase access,” said Ms Chikarakara.
Ms Chikarakara urged small-holder farmers to adopt quality packaging to attract customers who were influenced by food packaging.
“If we look at consumer requirements, food should follow certain standards like labelling and small-holder farmers need to improve their packaging.
This increases the market of our traditional food to attract consumers to buy and consume traditional food,” she said.
Knowledge Transfer Africa chief executive Mr Charles Dhewa said people had to make use of the diversity of food that traditional food had.
“Our food system needs attention, after colonization infiltrated our food systems we still have diversity of food. For instance, we have a hundred commodities, each community in Zimbabwe has diverse food and it needs support,” said Mr Dhewa
He said the food was part of a heritage that should be embraced to safeguard cultural norms and values.
My Food is African is being led by PELUM Zimbabwe and is also being implemented by other AFSA partners across Africa to raise awareness of traditional foods, seeds, dishes, diets and cuisines.
Online Reporter