Drought-resistant food trees offer secrets to boosting drought diets by providing fruits, edible nuts, and seeds, leaves cooked as vegetables, and edible oils during dry spells and droughts which have doubled in Africa since 2005 to one every six years.
According to the World Agroforestry Centre, in Kenya alone, about 400 indigenous drought-tolerant trees provide vitamin and mineral-rich food and nutritional security. The cultivation of these edible wild and domesticated dryland food trees provides a diversified healthy diet during times of plenty and a critical food security blanket in lean times. This is not even without mentioning their uses as a source of livestock feed, medicines and pesticides, construction materials, wood fuel, gums, and aromatics, preserving soil moisture and fertility, regulating micro-climates and soil erosion as well as air and water quality. Due to the growth in both the population and economic capability of Kenya as an example, its fruit markets are predicted to grow by 5.7 per cent year on year with a bulk of this being indigenous drought trees consumers are acquiring a taste for.
Capable of literally growing on rocks under 100-600 mm of rain, White Cross Berries are the seeds that were talked about in the Parable of the Sower.
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The tree produces fruits between June and October. 40-100 grams of the berries is enough to give a child less than eight years old enough iron for a day. The CDC notes that iron carries red blood cells which in turn carry oxygen through bodies and helps keep kids attentive and supports their ability to learn. It also prevents iron deficiency and anaemia.
The fruits can be mashed and added water to make a refreshing drink and can also be dried for storage.
The African locust bean’s deep roots make it thrive under limited rain in Sudan and Guinea’s savannas.
Its seeds are fermented to make the tasty but strong odoured dawadawa which is high in protein. The fruit’s pulp is a great source of natural sugars and can be stored as a cake for use during times of severe drought.
Its leaves are also ground and added to cereal flour and are eaten together with sauces.
The yellow cover that covers the seed is also turned into a drink or flour for porridge preparation that has properties that prevent heart issues, cancers, and type 2 diabetes.
Popular in the Adjumani and Katakvi districts of Uganda, the Desert Date is a triple-use wonder providing a large bitter-sweet pulpy fruit whose glass contains the amount of vitamin C a child needs in a day which is crucial for protecting them from infections as well as having precious micronutrients that are crucial for a child’s growth and development. Its leaves which can be eaten raw or after boiling are harvested in November and March and contain properties that treat worm infection, wounds, malaria, syphilis, epilepsy, dysentery, constipation, diarrhea, stomach aches, asthma, and fever. Its oily seed is boiled to reduce its bitterness and eaten with another drought-tolerant crop sorghum. A Makerere University study on the tree also found that locals dried, roasted, ground, and boiled the seeds to extract one litre of oil from two and a half kilogram of seeds which could be used for up to half a year.
Popular in arid Northern and Eastern Kenya, every inch of Moringa— which can be established in as little as 300mm– can be eaten. These are its leaves, nuts, bark, seed, roots, pods, tubers, and flowers.
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Moringa leaves are produced during drought making them a great source of vegetables when there is little food available.
Beyond its legendary medicinal properties, its leaves, roots, and pods which are rich in protein and vitamins A, B, and C, proteins, and minerals are cooked with green grams, carrots, French beans, potatoes, chilies, and ginger to make the delicious Indian Korma Curry.
The FAO recommends moringa for pregnant mothers as it adds the level of blood iron preventing anaemia as well as reducing the risk of pregnancy complications and children as it stengthenes their immune system making them less likely to be affected by bacteria and viruses.