PRESS RELEASE
The Food Crisis
Moringa’s Green Superfoods Revolution
Moringa: a small,
fast-growing tree found in all tropical regions. Its leaves are among the
world’s richest vegetables. It is a plantfood of high nutritional value,
ecologically and economically beneficial and readily available in the countries
hardest hit by the food crisis. It is therefore urgent that the barriers
preventing the development of this “green superfood” be removed.
Moringa, a green “superfood”
The leaves of Moringa, this small tree found in the tropics, were
recently identified by the World
Vegetable Center
(Taiwan)
as the vegetable with the highest nutritional
value among 120 types of food species studied. Easy to cultivate and resistant
to drought, this tree produces abundant leaves with a high concentration of proteins,
vitamins, and minerals: 100 grams of fresh Moringa leaves provide the same
amount of protein as an egg, more iron than a steak, as much Vitamin C as an
orange, and as much calcium as a glass of milk.
Moringa grows throughout the developing world and has already been used
by programs to reduce child malnutrition in India. Its
dried leaves, in powder form, can be easily preserved and used. Eating 30
grams a day, a child can satisfy all his daily requirement of Vitamin A, 80% of
daily calcium needs, 60% of daily iron needs, and nearly 40% of protein needs.
Given the world food crisis, the use of local resources like Moringa is critical
to reduce the dependence of developing countries on imported
goods, and to improve nutrition among poor households. Two or three trees in a
courtyard are sufficient for the needs of one family. Ben, a chauffeur in Burkina Faso, understands
the advantages that Moringa offers: “As I don’t have any land, I grow it in containers
on my balcony,” he explains. The production of fresh or dried leaves is also
a very profitable activity
for growers in developing countries, allowing up to eight harvests per year
with minimal investment.
Developping this resource
For the past 20 years, Armelle de Saint Sauveur has promoted this
plant in Africa, making her known as “Mrs.
Moringa”. Through the association that she founded, Moringanews, she
organizes international symposiums, leads research, and organizes projects in
the field. Her “must-see” website: www.moringanews.org offers free
information and serves as a platform of exchange to the members of an
ever-growing network spanning the globe.
But despite the proliferation of public and private initiatives on
Moringa, state-sponsored and UN-related programs have not gotten involved, and
the funding is almost non-existent. There are only a few organizations
that have supported this development in recent years. Among them, two European institutions: the
Centre for Enterprise Development (CDE) www.cde.int and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) www.cta.int, and, more recently, the L’Occitane Foundation.
The L’Occitane Foundation http://fondation.loccitane.com and Moringanews
are working together to support a
group of women from Burkina
Faso in the production of Moringa in
powder form, aimed at the local market. Partnerships are currently being
negotiated in an effort to sell the product to organizations and small-medium
size businesses that work on malnutrition among mothers and children.
In fact, African businesses that manufacture baby formula or nutritional
supplements are becoming increasingly interested in Moringa leaf powder: it
is a cheap resource which could allow them to enrich their products with
micronutrients. But regulatory barriers prevent the commercialization of
these enriched products, while the number of patents on the uses of
Moringa is growing in the United
States, China, and in Europe.
The current food crisis is proof that export-led agriculture is a
wrong option for countries with few resources. At the same time, the poorest
cannot afford animal-based proteins. It is therefore urgent for developing
countries to rapidly switch to using local resources, including Moringa, whose
exceptional nutritional value and accessibility make it a clear choice.
The main current need is for the financing of information campaigns, the
publishing of a practical guide on the
cultivation, processing, and use of Moringa leaves, and certification of the leaf powder as a food, a critical
step to enable large-scale commercialization in Africa.
Contacts
Moringanews Fondation
d’entreprise l’OCCITANE
Armelle
de Saint Sauveur Bénédicte
MENANTEAU
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