‘I DON’T eat ifisashi,” is a common refrain among many people who shun eating traditional foods in homes countrywide.
The readiness by many people to avoid traditional delicacies is reinforced by the proliferation of exotic foods sold in restaurants and eateries dotted around in communities.
Not long ago, traditional delicacies formed part of the menu in most homes countrywide.
But slowly, this trend is being replaced by exotic sweets and treats like cakes, chickens, chips, pizzas and many other exotic delicacies.
These exotic and junky foods have captured the hearts and tempted the taste buds of food-lovers across the country.
It’s no secret that Zambians are in love with these junk and exotic foods as evidenced by the number of people who frequent modern restaurants for either their breakfast, lunch, supper or indeed any in-between meals and snacks.
“I have not had traditional foods in a long time, not because I cannot afford it. Actually, it is cheaper than these exotic foods we buy like pizzas and chicken and chips but the challenge is that I don’t have time to prepare it. I would rather buy these exotic foods on my way home and eat quickly before getting to bed,” Ms Jessy Kangwa, a resident of Lusaka’s Villa area says.
However, Ms Kangwa knows that most of these fast foods are not good for human health because of the high oil contents in them.
“Whenever I am eating chicken and chips, I always remember my mother back then. She used to discourage me from eating too much fast food because of the various health risks that come with them. But living in the urban area has become so time consuming for me to get to the market and buy traditional foods like dried vegetables and wild fruits,” Ms Kangwa says.
Family recipes that once made mouths water are being tossed aside, with some at risk of becoming extinct.
Ms Kangwa is not the only one shunning traditional foods, Vincent Tembo of Lusaka’s Chelstone says in his home, traditional foods are rarely found.
“My wife and I are working parents and my wife is rarely home because of the nature of her work. As a result, we both have no time to prepare the indigenous foods. All we do is to buy fast foods and the day is gone,” Mr Tembo says.
Mr Tembo says sometimes it is a challenge to find traditional foods because such foods are not easily found or not packaged well, resulting in some people being discouraged when buying these foods.
But not all national delicacies have been preserved with such priority, according to Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) executive director Patrick Nshindano.
Mr Nshindano says for Zambia to achieve the much-needed sustainable economic empowerment, the country needs a sustainable food system centering much on traditional foods production, preservation and consumption.
“Zambia urgently needs a sustainable food system as evidenced from the erosion of our traditional foods which we have had since time immemorial. Crop diversification is one of the ways of having a sustainable food system. It is then that we will see food diversity that will in-turn contribute to the country’s sustainable food system instead of solely dependent on exotic foods,” Mr Nshindano says.
Mr Nshindano believes agriculture has been relegated to only subsistence agriculture.
“For the urban population, there is too much obesity. Malnutrition levels are high and all this can be related to failure to follow crop diversification. We need more involvement and we need it done in a more sustainable manner. We need improved livelihood at the household level,” Mr Nshindano says.
The traditional food is facing erosion both in urban and rural areas.
But how will Zambia reignite the traditional foods?
“We need to reorient people on the importance of indigenous foods. It is cheap and more healthy. One reason why we are facing this erosion is that our agriculture policy system for a long time has not promoted crop diversification, as a result, mono-cropping has taken root,” Mr Nshindano says.
But all hope is not lost, Mr Nshindano says the e-voucher system is a good one, nevertheless needs to be promoted.
“We need a healthy nation. And healthy food is an important component in having a healthy nation. It is now after the e-voucher system that we have seen the change. We need to ensure that the policy looks at food diversification, too,” Mr Nshindano says.
HIVOS Southern Africa advocacy officer on sustainable diets William Chilufya says these neglected species are important due to their potential contribution in preventing malnutrition, obesity and diet-related disorders and hidden hunger.
Mr Chilufya says many indigenous food crops constitute inexpensive and rich sources of protein, vitamin C, and dietary fiber.
“Like Amaranth (bondwe), it’s nutritional value is huge and yet it is not preserved or packaged in order to be accessed by both urban and rural households. We need to promote the production and preservation of such foods so that we increase the availability of produce in the peri-urban and urban areas at affordable prices,” Mr Chilufya says.
Mr Chilufya says initiatives have been carried out across the country to strategise on how to reignite the indigenous food crops production, preservation and packaging.
“We have farmers that we are working with in sharing information, production technologies for packaging and preservation. We hope this project will result in the development of efficient marketing processes which are vital for the commercial success of the small fruits and vegetables grower,” he says.
According to Mr Chilufya, people need to change their perspectives and start eating indigenous foods which are rich in nutrients. PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON AUGUST 19, 2018. LINK:
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