From 76473.64@compuserve.comTue Aug 15 01:12:50 1995 Date: 14 Aug 95 21:56:22 EDT From: "therese . M. Hildebrand" <76473.64@compuserve.com> To: sanmessage Subject: multi-use leaf crops Hello, I work with trying to help people, especially in the tropics, improve their health by making better use of leaf crops in their diets. An area that I need some help researching is the partial harvest of leaves from multi-purpose crops. For example, winter wheat being grazed until snowfall then recovering in the spring to produce a seed crop. I am having a very hard time finding information about this agricultural technique, which seems to have a lot of potential for increasing total nutrient production for peasant farmers and gardeners. These folks often suffer from malnutrition and often have to produce food for their families on very small parcels of land. This seems like a technique that doesn't require any capital investment to increase food production, just some practical information. Edible wild greens and garden and field weeds can contribute significantly to the food supply when combined with improved leaf drying techniques. I feel that the use of partial leaf harvests from cultivated crops would greatly strengthen this strategy. But it is quite difficult finding information about it. I would very much appreciate any help in the search for information along these lines (including anything on the grazing of winter wheat). So far I've seen one article on partial leaf harvest of Cassava in Zaire, which I can no longer locate, and the following mention of partial leaf harvest of cowpeas: "According to Oomen and Grubben, some African farmers believe that a moderate harvest of cowpea leaves and stem tips (about 2T/ha) at flowering increases seed yield, while removing over 4 t/ha reduces seed yield. " I did some encouraging rough studies with okra and sweet potatoes but without strict enough control or enough replications to rely on. Among the crops grown commercially that have edible leaves as a potential secondary value are: Abelmoschus esculentus Okra Allium cepa Onion Allium sativum Garlic Amaranthus cruentus Mexican grain amaranth Artocarpus heterophyllus Jackfruit Benincasa hispida Wax gourd Beta vulgaris Sugar beet Boermeria nivea Ramie Capsicum annuum Sweet pepper Capsicum frutescens Hot Pepper Carica papaya Papaya Chenopodium quinoa Quinoa Clitoria ternatea Butterfly pea Colocasia esculenta Celery Stem Taro Cucurbita maxima squash gourd Cucurbita pepo summer squash Cyamopsis tetragolonobus Guar, or Cluster bean Hordeum vulgare Barley Ipomoea batatas Sweet potatoes Lablab purpureus Hyacinth bean, lab lab Phaseous vulgaris Common Bean Pisum sativa Garden Peas Psophocarpus tetragonolobus Winged bean Raphanus sativus Radish Sechium edule Chayote Sesamum indicum Sesame Spondias purpurea Spanish Plum, Jocote Tamarindus indica Tamarind Telfairia occidentalis Fluted Pumpkin Trigonella foenum-graecum Fenugreek Triticum x aestivum Wheat Vigna radiata Mung bean Vigna umbellata Rice bean Vigna unguiculata Cowpea Vitis vinifera Grape Thanks for any information or leads on where to find it. Peace and Light, David Kennedy From vic@daena.eepo.dialix.oz.auWed Sep 6 10:37:05 1995 Date: Wed, 06 Sep 1995 15:44:41 WST From: Victor Guest Reply to: victor.guest@eepo.com.au To: london@calypso-2.oit.unc.edu Subject: Re: multi-use leaf crops (fwd) >------------------------------------------------------- >Lawrence F. London, Jr. - london@sunSITE.unc.edu >http://sunSITE.unc.edu/london/Information_By_Topic.html >------------------------------------------------------- >---------- Forwarded message ---------- >Date: 14 Aug 95 21:56:22 EDT >From: therese . M. Hildebrand <76473.64@compuserve.com> >To: sanmessage >Subject: multi-use leaf crops > >Hello, > >I work with trying to help people, especially in the tropics, improve their >health by making better use of leaf crops in their diets. An area that I need >some help researching is the partial harvest of leaves from multi-purpose >crops. For example, winter wheat being grazed until snowfall then recovering >in the spring to produce a seed crop. I am having a very hard time finding >information about this agricultural technique, which seems to have a lot of >potential for increasing total nutrient production for peasant farmers and >gardeners. These folks often suffer from malnutrition and often have to produce >food for their families on very small parcels of land. This seems like a >technique that doesn't require any capital investment to increase food >production, just some practical information. Hi, sorry I have been so long in getting into this letter but here goes. Lucerne (alfa alfa ) makes a nice tea, and can be cut continuously. Oats can be grazed quite heavily and will recover. Control of stock is very important. Silver beet and celery can be used by taking mature leaves from the outside I am quite concious that that peasant farmers, without mechanical harvesters should not be mono farming. The best advise I can give you is to use Permaculture thinking to design the gardens for these people. The land/garden/plot, should be set up to provide 4 layers of food, and a variety on each layer. This would look like Ground Layer: Potatoes, Taroes, Carrots, etc, Cover Layer: Herbs, Lettuce, Cabbage, Beet, Garlic, Alfa alfa for stock etc. climbing Layer: Beans, Peas, Lentils, Tomatoes etc. Fruit Tree Layer: Grow all types of local fruit trees and allow vines to climb on them. Protection Layer: plant deciduous trees, Banna Grass and use this layer to provide a wind beak/sun shade/mulch material/fertilizer for the garden. Companion planting will stop most bugs and enhance the growth. You put local plants in to replace the names I have given you. Prepare the plot/garden where you can channel water run off and dig out the plot to a metre depth if possible. line the plot with paper if sandy or porous and fill this with any absorbant organic (suitable)material you can get. You can overfill the plot with material, and it wont hurt. Plant into soil.( which you can put back.) Also add worms and all of your food scraps. I have been told that in Zimbabwe an area equivalent to a door, is enough to feed a family. Best of luck. >Thanks for any information or leads on where to find it. Peace and Light, >David Kennedy > > Regards, Vic -- Victor Guest V.G.Guest Perth, Western Australia vic.guest@eepo.com.au 3 McKee Plce Kingsley. 6026 ----: Sustainable Agriculture :---- Tel. (09) 3092108 --: The Land Management Society & The Permaculture Association:----