Every Ugandan is supposed to eat 200 grammes of vegetables every day.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), these should be complemented with 200 grammes of fruits every day. For children, they should be given five portions of fruits and vegetables per day.
Such portions should be the number of fruits and vegetables that fit in their palms.
Common vegetables in Uganda include bbuga (Amaranthus blitum), nakati (Solanum aethiopicum), African eggplants (Solanum gilo) also called entula, malakwang (Hibiscus spp) in the north and akeyo, among others.
Other vegetables that should be integrated in daily diets include carrots, tomatoes and onions.
The fruits that should be consumed include mangoes, apple bananas, oranges, tangerines, jackfruit, bananas, pineapples and pawpaws.
According to WHO, vegetables are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and fibre, which reduce the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer.
Vegetables also contain vitamin C, potassium and foliate, which are vital for boosting the body’s immune system, nerve function and cell growth.
They are a source of dietary fibre that eases digestion, thereby preventing constipation.
Fibre also regulates blood pressure helping to prevent strokes, which are some of the most common lifestyle diseases in the country today.
Vegetables also boost immunity, by providing vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C and potassium. For those interested in managing body weight, daily consumption of fruits and vegetables help with weight management among others.
Despite their importance, the majority of Ugandans are not consuming vegetables and fruits in the right quantities.
To change this trend, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), a non-government organisation, working with the agriculture ministry, launched a campaign termed Beera ‘Maama Owakabi’, aimed at encouraging mothers to include vegetables in their family meals.
At its launch last Thursday at Hotel Africana, Kampala, GAIN’s country director Enock Musinguzi, said the campaign is aimed at promoting healthy diets among vulnerable populations in Uganda.
He added that chronic food insecurity and poor nutrition persist among the populace, leading to the triple burden of malnutrition.
This is a state of malnutrition that encompasses undernutrition, overnutrition (obesity) and micronutrient deficiencies, according to the Food Rights Alliance.
As a result of this burden, the country struggles with insufficient or excessive nutrient intake, as well as the lack of essential micronutrients which are mainly found in vegetables and fruits.
“An average Ugandan consumes 45 grammes of vegetables daily, far below the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of 200 grammes. Low fruits and vegetables intake is associated with poor health outcomes and an increased risk of non-communicable diseases,” Musinguzi said.
Vegetables for all
To boost the intake of greens, GAIN is implementing a ‘Vegetables for All’ project in Uganda.
It is a market-based approach aimed at increasing the diversity of diets for low-income earners by promoting increased consumption of vegetables.
From the intervention, GAIN wants to increase vegetable consumption to address nutrition challenges and improve dietary diversity.
The campaign focuses on strengthening vegetable supply chains, boosting smallholder farmer incomes and increasing access to fresh produce in underserved areas.
It also promotes the consumption of nutritious foods, particularly among vulnerable groups like women and children.
To access the targeted population, Musinguzi said they have recruited 1,367 vendors and 94 trained market facilitators to teach and promote different vegetables and explain how these can be mixed in food items, explained Musinguzi.
“We are investing in local producers, supporting vendors and creating demand for nutritious crops through branding and behavioural change. It is about making vegetables both accessible and consistently supplied,” Musinguzi says.
He explained further that the project will be rolled out in nine districts, which include Kampala, Wakiso, Mpigi, Mukono, Kayunga, Jinja, Mityana, Kayunga and Mbale.
The regions were selected based on their proximity to both producers and urban markets to ensure efficient and consistent supply of vegetables.
According to Musinguzi, by 2027, GAIN hopes to have reached over three million Ugandans with a focus on low-income earners.
Thus far, 130,000 people have been reached through media and promotional activities since the project’s inception.
Use of chemicals on vegetables
However, the consumption of vegetables can be detrimental if agro chemicals are misused.
“The moment vegetables are not safe; their use becomes almost poisonous. Chemicals found in food have been associated with cancers. If the vegetables have chemical residues, then they are not vegetables,” said Alex Bambona, the assistant commissioner, food and nutrition security in the agriculture ministry.
Owing to climate change, chemical use has become a part of farming and thus Bambona advised farmers that will participate in the campaign to use them responsibly.
The other reason for chemical use is the shrinking arable land in favour of construction.
“Because we have to supply many people in urban areas, we are using small plots to produce more vegetables, hence the increase in agro-chemical use,” Bambona added.
Having appreciated the impact of agro chemicals, he added that the Government has taken a step to stem the tide.
Despite the rationalisation of agencies, the Government believes they can give a vote to the Food and Agriculture Authority, which is responsible for controlling agro chemicals,” he said.
Bambona added that the authority will not check for chemicals on goods meant for export markets only, but also cater for local consumers.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: A vendor explaining to a guest how vegetables can be prepared. This was during the launch of the project at Hotel Africana recently.
