Improved Nutrition with Cultivation and Utilization of Elephant Grass (Pennisetum Purpureum L. (Schumach) as Dietary Source
It is for elephant grass to be utilized as food and in the production of protein concentrates beacuse it is highly productive and adapts well to many climatic and soil types. it can be directed to human feeding to help address the current global burden of malnutrition.
About You
Section 1: About You
First Name
Nkechi
Last Name
Akah
Website
Organization
university of nigeria nsukka
Country
Section 2: About Your Organization
Organization Name
university of nigeria nsukka
Organization Website
Organization Phone
Organization Address
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
Organization Country
Your idea
Name Your Project
Improved Nutrition with Cultivation and Utilization of Elephant Grass (Pennisetum Purpureum L. (Schumach) as Dietary Source
Country your work focuses on
Nigeria
Describe Your Idea
It is for elephant grass to be utilized as food and in the production of protein concentrates beacuse it is highly productive and adapts well to many climatic and soil types. it can be directed to human feeding to help address the current global burden of malnutrition.
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Innovation
What makes your idea unique?
Agricultural or dietary biodiversity is a major approach being currently advocated in many researcher findings as the lasting solution to the prevalent malnutrition in the world. It was revealed that the cultivation, consumption and utilization of wild, neglected, and or underutilized plant species is one of the major ways to achieve biodiversity and reduce the current nutritional problems. This approach is viewed as innovative, cheap, and highly sustainable.
Elephant grass, Pennisetum purpureum L. Schumach, is a forage grass that can really contribute meaningfully to solving the world’s current nutritional problems. Elephant grass, also commonly known as Napier grass belongs to the poaceae (alt. gramineae) family and is a native of Tropical Africa. It is a tall, perennial grass with a luxuriant and rapid growth rate. It grows in dense clumps and a single clump may produce up to 50 tillers under favorable climatic and soil conditions. It is regenerative, and is reported to be one of the highest yielding Tropical forage grasses. Elephant grass is also reported to adapt to many regions in the world because of its high tolerance to drought and restricted water conditions as well as to fire, frost, fungi, high and low pH, laterites, monsoon, savanna, sewage sludge, virus, weeds, and water logging.
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Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What impact have you had?
Since elephant grass is well adapted to many climatic conditions, and is highly productive, its cultivation and utilization in diets worldwide will really make a global impact on malnutrition. Apart from meeting the family’s nutritional needs, utilization of elephant grass will also in particular help rural farmers in Africa; especially women lift themselves out of extreme poverty, which is one of the causes of malnutrition. This they can achieve through the sales of the edible portion. Some women in areas where it is consumed are already profiting from the sales of the edible shoot.
Problem
Lack of reliable information on the properties of neglected plant species is viewed as a major setback to promoting their use as dependable nutrient-rich food resources. It was therefore recommended that their chemical, nutritional, toxicological properties, bioavailability of the nutrients, and the modification of the composition of these plants by various processing techniques be properly established and documented to promote their use as an alternative dietary source. Such information is said to be of fundamental importance in addressing dietary deficiencies in impoverished African rural communities.
Actions
Apart from meeting the family’s nutritional needs, utilization of elephant grass will also in particular help rural farmers in Africa; especially women lift themselves out of extreme poverty, which is one of the causes of malnutrition. This they can achieve through the sales of the edible portion. Some women in areas where it is consumed are already profiting from the sales of the edible shoot.
Use of elephant grass as food has received little research attention. The promise of rich nutritional potential shown by the proximate composition calls for a more in-depth study to identify the chemical constituents, such as the mineral, vitamin, amino, and fatty acid compositions, as well as other properties of the edible portion important to promote its consumption and utilization. Based on this, I will carry out a research on the “physico-chemical, nutritional and antioxidant properties of the edible matrix of elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum L. (Schumach)” as my MSc Thesis. It is envisaged that the outcome of the research will provide information necessary to advance the fight against malnutrition.
Results
Approximately 150 words left (1200 characters).
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
• To determine the physicochemical properties of the edible matrix
• To determine the quality of the amino and fatty acid composition by comparing with FAO/WHO reference standards
• To further evaluate the nutritional quality by assessing the in-vitro protein digestibility, chemical score, protein efficiency ratio (PER) and the bioavailability of the key mineral components
• To determine the anti-nutrient factors
• To determine the effect of some processing treatments on the properties.
What would prevent your project from being a success?
Approximately 250 words left (2000 characters).
How many people will your project serve annually?
Fewer than 100
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
Less than $50
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
Yes
Sustainability
What stage is your project in?
In what country?
Nigeria
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
If yes, provide organization name.
How long has this organization been operating?
Less than a year
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
Approximately 150 words left (1200 characters).
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
Approximately 300 words left (2400 characters).
The Story
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
College or university
If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company
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Comments
I'm a huge fan of utilizing what nature created for us so expertly already, and this certainly looks very interesting. I'm a little confused as to why this plant hasn't been more cultivated if local women already know that they can sell the shoots though - have you come across anything in your research regarding this?
Either way, this appears to be a fantastic renewable resource well suited to the area. Are there many other applications for this plant?
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