Foods

Food fortification or enrichment is the umbrella term which means the addition of nutrients to food in order to increase its nutritional value. This is practised in order to fortify foods with rich nutrients so as to fight nutrient deficiency

Sweet potato is one of the root crops with a relatively high nutritive value and yet only about 5% of world production comes Africa. It is mostly grown with other arable crops. Asia produces over 90% of the crop with

Jute is perhaps the most important of all bast fibres. The fibre is obtained from the stems of two cultivated species of Corchorus, namely, C. Capsularis L. and C. olitorius L. It is mostly produced in Asian countries especially China,

Kenaf is an important bast fibre crop. It is however grown largely in small backyard gardens in most parts of Nigeria especially in the north. India is the major producer. Origin It originated from the tropical and subtropical Africa where

Origin Cucumber probably originated in northern India and was introduced to the Mediterranean. It is now widespread throughout the world. Ecology Cucumbers are well adapted to warm climates but will grow well at lower temperatures than melons. The optimum range

Origin Carrot (D. carota L. sub so. sativus (Hoffm.) Thell.) is derived from the wide carrot (D. carota L. sub sp. carota) which occurs naturally in Europe, Asia and Africa. It is of ancient cultivation in the Mediterranean region and

Okra is a common vegetable crop grown in many part of the tropics for its mucilaginous fruits. It is a dicotyledonous annual herbaceous plant that’s  widely grown in all ecological zones of Nigeria but is not of much economic importance

Lettuce is a seasonal herb which is considered the world’s most important salad crop. Origin and distribution The centre of origin of L. sativa appears to be the middle east. The first records of lettuce as a vegetable is a

Bitter leaf plants are shrubs and their leaves are used as a vegetable. Vernonia amygdalina, V. colorata and V. calvoana are the three species usually grown. Ecology Vernonia grows in all types of soils. It is fairly drought resistant except

The term cocoyams is used to refer collectively to members of the genus Colocasia and the genus Xanthosoma which are grown for food in many parts of Africa, especially the wetter parts. They are grown in small plots, often inter