2008
P
rinte
d an
d pu
blis
hed
by:
D
epar
tmen
t of A
gric
ultu
re O
btai
nabl
e fro
m:
R
esou
rce
Cen
tre
Dire
ctor
ate
Agr
icul
tura
l Inf
orm
atio
n S
ervi
ces
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rivat
e B
ag X
144
P
RE
TOR
IA
0001
agric
ultu
re,
fore
stry
& fi
sher
ies
Dep
artm
ent:
Agr
icul
ture
, for
estry
& fi
sher
ies
REP
UB
LIC
OF
SOU
TH A
FRIC
A
DIR
ECTO
RAT
E
IND
IGEN
OU
S FO
OD
CR
OPS
Cer
eal
Puls
eP
earl
Mill
etM
ung
bean
Sor
gum
Bam
bara
Cow
pea
Roo
t/tub
erLe
afy
Livi
ngst
one
pota
toC
omm
on la
bsqu
ater
Zul
u ro
und
pota
toA
mar
anth
Mar
ama
bean
Bot
tle g
ourd
Am
adum
beB
lack
jack
Cas
sava
Jew
s m
allo
w
Nig
htsh
ade
Afr
ican
kal
e
Cow
pea
Cle
ome
Afr
ican
man
gost
een
Red
milk
woo
d
Rai
sin
bush
Num
-num
Wild
plu
m
Ste
m fr
uit
Kei
app
le
Gra
ins
Vege
tabl
es
Frui
ts
Pla
nt P
roduc
tion
Pla
nt P
roduc
tion
“Tak
e pr
ide”
“Com
mon
her
itage
, com
mon
futu
re”
Fu
rth
er in
form
atio
n c
an b
e o
bta
ined
fro
m:
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ctor
ate
Pla
nt P
rodu
ctio
nP
rivat
e B
ag X
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ET
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IA 0
001
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: +27
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319
6072
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319
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ail:
DP
P@
nda.
agric
.za
or P
A.D
PP
@nd
a.ag
ric.z
a
AIM
De
velo
p,
pro
mo
te a
nd
imp
lem
en
t n
atio
na
l po
licie
s,
norm
s, s
tand
ards
and
gui
delin
es th
at s
uppo
rt s
usta
in-
able
pro
duct
ion
of in
dige
nous
cro
ps.
FUN
CTI
ON
S
1. D
evel
op a
nd p
rom
ote
polic
ies
to s
uppo
rt p
rodu
c-
tion
of in
dige
nous
food
cro
ps
2. D
evel
op a
nd p
rom
ote
sust
aina
ble
prod
uctio
n pr
ac-
tices
for
indi
geno
us fo
od c
rops
.
3. D
evel
op a
nd fa
cilit
ate
the
impl
emen
tatio
n of
pro
-
gram
mes
for
impr
ovin
g pr
oduc
tion
of in
dige
nous
food
cro
ps
4. R
ende
r ad
viso
ry s
ervi
ces
on p
rodu
ctio
n of
indi
g-
enou
s fo
od c
rops
and
rel
ated
mat
ters
.
WH
AT A
RE
IND
IGEN
OU
S FO
OD
CR
OPS
?
Indi
geno
us f
ood
crop
s re
fer
to c
rops
tha
t ha
ve t
heir
orig
in in
Sou
th A
fric
a or
Afr
ica.
Add
ed to
thes
e cr
ops,
are
thos
e th
at w
ere
long
intr
oduc
ed in
to t
he c
ount
ry
or in
Afr
ica
and
are
now
rec
ogni
sed
as n
atur
alis
ed o
r
trad
ition
al c
rops
The
se c
rops
are
pro
duce
d an
d fo
und
grow
ing
in t
he c
ount
ry u
nder
var
ious
clim
atic
con
di-
tions
with
man
y fo
und
in th
e w
ild.
WH
Y IN
DIG
ENO
US
FOO
D C
RO
PS?
Lost
her
itage
Th
e i
ntr
od
uct
ion
of
exo
tic
cro
ps
into
So
uth
Afr
ica
an
d A
fric
a w
as
cha
ract
eri
sed
by
a g
rad
ua
l bu
t su
re
mov
emen
t aw
ay fr
om it
s in
dige
nous
food
wea
lth a
nd
the
embr
ace
of th
e ne
wly
foun
d cr
ops.
The
con
tinua
l
pro
mo
tion
of
the
se e
xotic
cro
ps
resu
lted
in m
ost
of
the
Afr
ican
indi
geno
us fo
od c
rops
bei
ng m
argi
nalis
ed.
In r
ece
nt
de
cad
es,
pro
du
ctio
n a
nd
co
nsu
mp
tion
of
indi
geno
us c
rops
has
dro
pped
eve
n fu
rthe
r as
mor
e
peop
le h
ave
adop
ted
exot
ic f
ood
crop
s. C
rops
suc
h
as s
orgh
um a
nd m
illet
hav
e la
rgel
y lo
st th
eir
stat
us a
s
stap
le c
rops
. In
Sou
th A
fric
an a
gric
ultu
re, t
hese
cro
ps
are
on th
e ve
rge
of b
eing
lost
.
Neg
lect
ed b
y re
sear
cher
s an
d po
licy
mak
ers
Mo
st o
f th
e in
dig
en
ou
s cr
op
s a
re le
ss r
ese
arc
he
d,
grow
n on
a s
mal
l sca
le, o
r co
llect
ed fr
om th
e w
ild a
nd
mos
tly n
ot m
arke
ted.
The
cro
ps d
id n
ot f
orm
par
t on
scho
ol c
urri
cula
and
as
such
nev
er a
ppea
red
on t
he
rese
arch
er’s
prio
rity
list.
Res
ista
nce
to p
ests
and
dis
ease
s
It h
as
be
en
re
po
rte
d t
ha
t in
dig
en
ou
s cr
op
s a
re r
e-
letiv
ely
re
sist
an
t to
pe
sts
an
d d
ise
ase
s a
s th
e p
est
will
nor
mal
ly h
ave
natu
ral e
nem
ies
and
the
fact
tha
t
the
pla
nts
th
em
selv
es
ha
ve e
volv
ed
to
ad
ap
t to
th
e
envi
ronm
enta
l con
ditio
ns p
reva
iling
in t
heir
pla
ce o
f
orig
in.
Ada
ptab
ility
Indi
geno
us c
rops
are
rel
ativ
ely
adap
ted
to t
he m
ar-
gin
al a
rea
s th
an
exo
tic c
rop
s. C
rop
s lik
e m
ille
t a
nd
sorg
hum
are
mor
e dr
ough
t tol
eran
t tha
n m
aize
. The
se
cro
ps
are
als
o a
ble
to
giv
e a
go
od
yie
ld u
nd
er
low
inpu
t con
ditio
ns.
Nut
ritio
nal s
tatu
s
It ha
s be
en d
ocum
ente
d th
at s
ome
of th
e in
dige
nous
food
cro
ps a
re a
s nu
triti
ous
as t
he e
xotic
foo
d cr
ops
in s
ome
case
s ev
en m
ore
e.g
amar
anth
is m
ore
nutr
i-
tious
than
the
com
mon
cab
bage
.
Foo
d se
curit
y an
d in
com
e ge
nera
tion
The
eco
nom
ies
of a
num
ber
of c
ount
ries
wer
e ba
sed
on s
mal
l ent
erpr
ises
; as
such
thes
e cr
ops
coul
d fo
rm
the
basi
s of
the
nich
e gl
obal
mar
kets
targ
etin
g ur
ban
mar
kets
. Pro
duct
ion
of th
ese
crop
s w
ill p
rovi
de fo
od to
the
rura
l hou
seho
ld a
nd th
e su
rplu
s so
ld to
the
urba
n
mar
ket w
ith p
rosp
ect o
f exp
ortin
g.
IND
IGEN
OU
S FO
OD
CR
OP
CAT
EGO
RIE
S
The
indi
geno
us fo
od c
rops
can
be
broa
dly
divi
ded
into
thre
e ca
tego
ries,
nam
ely
grai
ns, v
eget
able
s an
d fr
uit
crop
s. G
rain
s ca
n be
furt
her
subd
ivid
ed in
to c
erea
ls
and
puls
es w
hile
the
thre
e su
bdiv
isio
ns o
f veg
etab
les
are
leaf
, tub
er a
nd r
oot c
rops
.
