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Indigenous Knowledge on the Uses of African Nightshades ( Solanum Nigram L.) Species Among Three Kenyan Communities

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Indigenous Knowledge on the Uses of African Nightshades ( Solanum Nigram L.) Species Among Three Kenyan Communities Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology 14(3): 1-8, 2016; Article no.AJAEES.31099 ISSN: 2320-7027 SCIENCEDOMAIN international www.sciencedomain.org Indigenous Knowledge on the Uses of African Nightshades ( Solanum nigram L.) Species among Three Kenyan Communities Edward Gizemba Ontita 1, Cecilia Moraa Onyango 2* , Richard Ndemo Onwonga 3 and Desterio Nyamongo 4 1Department of Sociology and Social Work, University of Nairobi, P.O.Box 30197-00100, Nairobi, Kenya. 2Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection, University of Nairobi, P.O.Box 29053-00625, Nairobi, Kenya. 3Department of Land Resource Management and Agricultural Technology, University of Nairobi, P.O.Box 29053-00625, Nairobi, Kenya. 4Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Genetic Resources Research Institute, P.O.Box 781 – 00902, Kikuyu, Kenya. Authors’ contributions This work was carried out in collaboration between all authors. Author EGO and CMO designed the study, wrote the protocol and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Author RNO and DN reviewed the experimental design and all drafts of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Article Information DOI: 10.9734/AJAEES/2016/31099 Editor(s): (1) Ian McFarlane, School of Agriculture Policy and Development, University of Reading, UK. Reviewers: (1) Willem Jansen van Rensburg, Agricultural Research Council, South Africa. (2) Beloved Mensah Dzomeku, CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Ghana. (3) H. Filiz Boyaci, Bati Akdeniz Agricultural Research Institute, Turkey. Complete Peer review History: http://www.sciencedomain.org/review-history/17690 Received 20 th December 2016 Accepted 27 th January 2017 Original Research Article nd Published 2 February 2017 ABSTRACT In Kenya, the African nightshades (ANS) ( Solanum nigram L.) are among the most widely distributed and consumed traditional vegetables. The current study was conducted to better understand the cultural variability in the use patterns and values of these vegetables. The study was conducted in Kisii, Kakamega and Nakuru counties of Kenya. Data was collected on ANS _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]; Ontita et al.; AJAEES, 14(3): 1-8, 2016; Article no.AJAEES.31099 utilization using a survey of 630 farmers, 6 focus group discussions and 9 key informant interviews. The results indicated that the vegetable plays an important role in the communities as food (100%), medicine (78%) and spiritual (9%) use. As medicine, 75-85% of the respondents used the ANS to treat worms, stomach ache, diarrhea and ulcers. Additionally, ANS was used to treat eye infections (65%), boils and wounds (57%) and constipation (54%). The plant parts used for medicinal purposes were leaves (90%) shoots (66%), fruits (35%) and roots (25%). These findings demonstrate that ANS is an important vegetable with multiple uses across the counties surveyed. The study underscores the need to document and preserve indigenous knowledge on utilization of ANS for promotion in conservation and commercialization, and future scientific research on the plants’ efficacy and safety. Keywords: African nightshade; utilization; Kenyan communities; conservation; commercialization. 1. INTRODUCTION Kenya. Kisii and Kakamega counties lie in the south Western and western parties of Kenya In Kenya, the African nightshades (ANS) respectively while Nakuru County is in the Rift (Solanum nigram L.) are among the most highly Valley of Kenya. The study entailed a survey of distributed and widely consumed traditional leafy 630 ANS farmers and consumers (210 farmers vegetables (TLVs) [1]. However, they have other in each of the three counties) randomly uses depending on the community. Shei [2] sampled in purposively selected sub-counties in working on native west African vegetables found each of the three counties. These sub-counties out that they have profound nutritional, economic were Kisii Central and Gucha in Kisii County; and medicinal potential which if well exploited Shinyalu and Navakholo in Kakamenga would possibly open new markets for the global County, and Molo and Nakuru West in Nakuru commercialization of the vegetables, encourage County. the local and global cultivation, consumption and conservation of especially those which are presently facing the threat of extinction. Two In addition, focus group discussions and thirds of the Kenyan population live in rural key informants were also used. The focus areas and depend directly on well-functioning groups were derived from existing ANS ecosystems and biodiversity. The African production and consumer groups. In Kakamega, nightshades (ANS) ( Solanum nigram L.) are the focus group constituted six participants among the TLVs that are the most affordable and all men who produced and marketed ANS sustainable dietary sources of vitamins, minerals together. They were all literate, aged between and other bioactive compounds for the rural 28 and 61 years, and were all from Shinyalu people. They have been reported to be Sub-county. The participants had been producing particularly rich in pro-vitamin A ( β – carotene) ANS for over ten years by the time and vitamin C, crude proteins, fibre and the they participated in the focus group discussion. minerals potassium, phosphorous, calcium, iron In Nakuru, the focus group discussion process and zinc [3]. Besides, these vegetables are was the same as in Kakamega. The group traditionally grown by women [4] hence are a was composed of nine members all women source of food and income to them ensuring the aged between 40 and 65. In Kisii, the focus health of the home and a form of financial group was composed of six participants all independence from their husbands. However, in women aged between 42 and 63. Key informant recent times, there has been an emerging trend interviews were conducted in the three of men getting involved in the production and counties with a view to bring in knowledgeable sale of the vegetable having identified it as producers/consumers and community leaders source of income [4]. The current study was including traditional healers, agricultural conducted to document indigenous uses and extension officers and teachers. In Kakamega traditions related to African nightshades to better a male traditional healer, an agricultural understand cultural variability in use patterns and officer and a female vegetable vendor were use values of these vegetables for conservation the key informants. In Nakuru, an agricultural and commercialization. officer, a male ANS producer and a vegetable trader were interviewed. In Kisii a male producer 2. METHODS and consumer aged 92, a female vegetable vendor and a male retired teacher were The study was carried out in representative interviewed. counties, Kisii, Kakamega and Nakuru, of 2 Ontita et al.; AJAEES, 14(3): 1-8, 2016; Article no.AJAEES.31099 2.1 Data Analysis analysed and understood in the context of ‘virtual households’. This concept of ‘virtual households’ The quantitative data were statistically analyzed implies that preparation and conservation of ANS for means and frequencies using SPSS version leaf for consumption depends significantly on 15.0 [5]. Qualitative data analysis in this study where household members are located spatially entailed examining the text produced from each on the globe. If, some of the members are in key informant and focus group discussion for key urban areas such as Nairobi, fresh ANS leaf are themes and patterns that brought out the delivered by courier to them once or twice a knowledge on ANS utilization in the respective week. If, however, these members are resident in communities. The idea was to bring out what Europe, Asia or North America, indigenous Silverman [6] calls ‘cultural stories’ namely methods of preparation and preservation retrieving the rhetorical force of what are used and the leaf is dried, packed and interviewees say. This meant taking the shipped to the household members (personal interviewees’ descriptions and statements communication during focus group discussions). beyond conventional meanings into contextual constructions that reflect the social and cultural 3.2 Consumption meanings of ANS in the farm, plate, market and ritual. This line of analysis followed Richardson’s Overall, it was commonly agreed across the [7] argument that ‘language does not reflect three counties that ANS consumption was more social reality, but produces meaning, creates prestigious than for instance kale or cabbage. social reality. Therefore the language and This is because kale was mass produced and not discourse in which ANS was presented offered preferred by most adults who in the words of one varying and often competing meanings of the key informant from Kisii County ‘felt that it was vegetable. Vignettes from the corpus of data are forced on them because it was available in used to illustrate themes or bring out emerging abundance’. ANS was generally said to be more meanings and understandings. palatable for adults and especially the aged. Besides being palatable ANS was demanding to 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION produce and thus more expensive than kale or spinach in the market. The finding that ANS 3.1 Uses of African Nightshades (ANS) consumption is considered more prestigious and preferred in all three communities under study The results revealed several ANS uses i.e. food, contradicts Ambrose-Oji’s [9] that African
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