Legumes from the Leguminosae of the Fabaceae family have been widely produced and consumed throughout human history. Legumes have been part of diet, providing protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and micronutrients essential for human health. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) produces numerous varieties of legumes including groundnuts, beans, lentils, cowpeas, lupin, bambara beans, soybeans, pigeon peas, and chickpeas. Yearly, legumes production in SSA is approximately 19 million metric tons, although consumption varies between regions and age group. Legumes offer not only food but also, feed, cash, and nutrients to the soil.

In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) the food basket is composed of diversified foods from staples, animal, sources, to fruits and vegetables. Staple foods dominate the food basket as they are widely grown and utilized. Common staple foods in SSA include maize, millet, sorghum, rice, yams, cassava, potatoes, and plantains. They provide a good proportion of energy and nutrients needed. Legumes are the second widely known staple foods, providing dietary protein of about 20-30 percent, complex carbohydrates, fiber, unsaturated fats, and micronutrients such as calcium, niacin, iron, and zinc. Food basket with diversified foods provide essential nutrients required for good health and well-being.

One among the essential nutrients is human diet is protein. Protein is an essential macronutrient needed to build and maintain the body’s muscle mass and prevent muscle degenerations and related diseases in later life. Protein is also vital for hormone synthesis, and immune function. Animal sources (livestock, poultry, and aquaculture), nuts and legumes and their food products are the major sources of protein in diets. Low-income families experience difficulties in purchasing animal source-protein due to high price. The day-to-day rise in food prices exacerbate food insecurity in SSA, resulting to low consumption of health diets. In 2020, $3.441/person/day hindered (85%) 8.94 million people in SSA to afford a healthy diet, causing an increase in food insecurity.

Failure to manage food insecurity, both moderate and severe forms of undernutrition will still be on the rise, although other factors such as diseases, infections, hygiene and sanitation, low level of understanding food and nutrients, culture and taboos worsen undernutrition situation in SSA. Protein-energy undernutrition (PEU) is one among the challenging undernutrition condition affecting people of all ages and gender, however under 5 and the elderly are highly prone to PEU due to their nutrition needs, vaccination status, difficulties in eating, health conditions, and food consumption pattern . More about PEU to be discussed in the next post, for now watch “State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022” and learn more about food security and nutrition. All for now!!

Find out more here:

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