Promoting the Nutritional Goodness of Traditional Food Products

Abstract

Nutrition/food security is a complex issue, which is influenced by a nations food security status. However, for many developing countries, increasing national agricultural production alone cannot improve food security. Food production must be actively combined with evaluation, selection and domestication and greater utilization of under-utilized or wild edible plants that are of local or regional importance to effectively increase nutrition security. By improving the linkage between production and utilization, the biodiversity of traditional crops can be safe guarded. The paper will discuss the preliminary data of a survey of traditional food products. Further show that women indigenous knowledge of these traditional foods should be harnessed to improve nutrition security sustainable especially in the light of increased prevalence of HIV/AIDS.