Vegi-Leg project aims to improve the nutritional situation in rural Tanzania and Mozambique by innovative processing technologies

Food and nutrition security is still one of the most pressing challenges to a rapidly growing population in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the two East-African countries Tanzania and Mozambique the nutritional status only slightly improved in the last decade despite high rates of economic growth.

The Vegi-Leg project aims to improve the nutritional situation of the local population in Tanzania and Mozambique by improving post-harvest treatments of nutrient-dense plant foods to increase perennial food availability. The project will focus on nutrient-dense plant foods rich in high quality protein (essential amino acids), micro-nutrients (iron) and secondary plant metabolites (pro-vitamin A carotenoids) and therefore selected pigeon peas (Cajanus cajan) (PP) and African indigenous vegetables (AIV) as food items for further processing. In a participatory study design, Vegi-Leg will analyse corresponding food value chains and develop improved or new processing technologies to guarantee the availability of nutrient-dense plant food during the dry season.