Crossposted from the Worldwatch Institute'sNourishing the Planet.
In this week’s episode, research fellow Molly Theobald, discusses how one farmer from Togo, Yao Afantchao, is bringing the vegetables he remembers from his home to consumers in the greater Washington DC area, helping to create a new source of income for local farmers. Yao, who works with the University of the District of Columbia’s (UDC) cooperative extension service and its agricultural experimentation service, is helping to set up demonstration gardens around the city to grow vegetables with names like Sawa Sawa, Gilo, garden eggs, and Gboma. He is also helping local farmers, many of whom used to be tobacco farmers, to expand their crop offerings to include these same vegetables. This way, consumers have a greater diversity of fresh fruits and vegetables to choose from at their local markets, and farmers can benefit from the increase in their income.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/...
To read more about creating a market for the indigenous vegetables of Africa, see: Creating a Market for the Taste of Home.
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