Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 6
Some Legumes for the Future?
There have been repeated attempts to sponsor new legume crops, especially for
resource-poor peoples in tropical countries. In 1979, the National Academy of Sci-
ences (USA) produced a seminal work describing many legumes with potential for
food and forage use in the tropics (Anon, 1979). Slightly more recently they produced
two volumes devoted to firewood crops, acknowledging the importance of these as a
source of energy, often for cooking (Anon, 1980, 1983).
Native peoples in all continents have made good use of their indigenous legumes
for millennia. A search of the literature has shown that very few of the crops listed
in Anon (1979) have been developed, although things are at last beginning to change.
Instead, presumably because of the economic benefits to seed producers, major crop
species such as soybeans and peanuts (groundnuts) have been introduced worldwide.
With impending world food shortages and climate change, this is not a healthy situ-
ation and programmes to develop some of these underutilised resources are urgently
needed. With Africa in mind, the National Academy of Sciences has produced three
new volumes 'Lost Crops of Africa', the second volume of which is devoted to vegeta-
bles (Anon, 2006). Table 6.1 lists many of the tropical legumes with potential used for
human food, most of which are covered in Anon (2006) for Africa or in Anon (1979),
where the coverage is global. Since the earlier publications, some of the species names
have been changed. Where this is the case, both names are given. Where there has been
some recent work done, or where the plant has particularly useful characteristics, they
will be discussed further; otherwise readers are referred to the volumes produced by
the National Academy. All the species listed are from tribe Phaseoleae. Most of the
plants listed have many local names, but only the most widely used ones will be given
here. Table 6.2 lists legumes of other species that are considered to have potential, but
that do not nodulate, so will not be considered further.
In this chapter, some of the uses of nodulated legumes for human food, forage, and
other purposes such as pharmaceuticals will be outlined. The emphasis is on the tropics
and sub-tropics, where the needs are most acute and where there is an abundance of
underutilised species. Agroforestry will not be covered, nor will the use of legume fal-
lows, as they are extensively covered in the literature (e.g. Giller, 2001). Use of legumes
for timber has also been well covered in the various publications of the Nitrogen Fixing
