Project Lead(s): Vivian Polar
Issue
In Bolivia, chronic malnutrition is one of the biggest public health problems.
Iron deficiency affects more than 50% of the indigenous population and 80% of indigenous children under the age of two. At least 11% of young children in Bolivia suffer from Vitamin A deficiency.
Current approaches that seek to solve public health problems related to nutrition and nutritional deficiencies are not sufficient, as they are often based on introducing supplements and pharmaceutical products that are expensive or inaccessible.
Solution
The goal of the project was to develop a cultivation and consumption plan for green canahua plants (Chenopodium pallidicaule), a native Bolivian plant.
The objective was to uncover the full nutritional potential of the plant, as well as to identify new and innovative ways to consume it. A total of 240 farmer families participated in developing the plan for the cultivation of canahua plants, as well as an elaboration of new products for home consumption.
Outcome
Results show that canahua can be planted in the field as early as mid-October and as late as mid-February, producing consumable green plants up to mid-April.
Nutritional analysis highlighted the high nutritional value of canahua as an alternative to green vegetables showing that, in general, green canahua has an important content of protein (13%–14.5%) that decreases as the plant matures.
Iron (15–19 mg/100g) content is higher in greens, in comparison to germinated plants. Vitamin A (280–320 ug/100g) and zinc (26–30 mg/100g) are higher in young plants.
Ten recipes for urban consumption and five recipes for rural consumption of green canahua plants are currently being used by chefs and communities.
Fifteen members of the Bolivian Chef Association (ACB) and the Bolivian Gastronomic Integration Movement (MIGA) have participated in the development of products based on green canahua plants, and they are currently promoting its consumption by urban populations.
One important outcome of the project was that another project, called Food Security for Climate Change Adaptation, financed by Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, has taken up the results of the project and is promoting the consumption of green canahua plants by farmers from the highlands.
Knowledge of the project was also widely distributed through publications.