Moringa: An indigenous high value underutilized vegetable crop can play a great role in nutrition and poverty alleviation in Bangladesh

Moringa: An indigenous high value underutilized vegetable crop can play a great role in nutrition and poverty alleviation in Bangladesh

Hughes, J.d'A. Book author
Kasemsap, P. Book author
Dasgupta, S. Book author
Dutta, O.P. Book author
Ketsa, S. Book author
Chaikiattiyos, S. Book author
Linwattana, G. Book author
Kosiyachinda, S. Book author
Chantrasmi, V. Book author

Shanhua, Tainan AVRDC - The World Vegetable Center Taiwan

2015

p.328-335

SB320.2.H9 2014

Moringa (Moringa spp.) is one of the world’s most beneficial trees. This fast growing plant is grown throughout the tropics for human food, medicine, livestock forage, dye and water purification. It can easily be grown in the homestead and along the\n roadsides. The climate of Bangladesh is favorable for moringa. The leaves and fruits of moringa contain high amount of beta-carotene, protein, vitamin C and iron. Both moringa species. M. oleifera (locally known as Sajna, fruiting in one season) and Moringa stenopetala (locally known as Lajna, fruiting year round) are most widely cultivated in Bangladesh. Malnutrition is a serious public health problem in the hunger prone northwestern region and saline-affected southern Bangladesh. Moringa plays a vital role to meet nutritional deficiency as well as to help to alleviate poverty mainly in the north-western region of Bangladesh. Research findings showed that M. oleifera and M. stenopetala both are well adapted to our northwestern region but in the southern saline and eastern wet areas only M. oleifera grows well. Compared to summer vegetables like cucurbits and amaranths, moringa fetches higher prices. In the northern part of Bangladesh about 20% of the population depends on moringa, but in\n saline and hilly areas only 2.5%. Moreover, moringa is used as a traditional remedy against smallpox and chicken pox.

Families, farms, food: sustaining small-scale vegetable production and marketing systems for food and nutrition security; Proceedings of the regional symposium (SEAVEG 2014)

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