Subject: multi-use leaf crops (fwd)

From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 15 Aug 1995 01:16:08 -0400 (EDT)

-------------------------------------------------------
Lawrence F. London, Jr. - [email-masked] 
http://sunSITE.unc.edu/london/Information_By_Topic.html
-------------------------------------------------------
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 14 Aug 95 21:56:22 EDT
From: therese . M. Hildebrand <[email-masked]>
To: sanmessage <[email-masked]>
Subject: multi-use leaf crops

Hello,

I work with trying to help people, especially in the tropics, improve their
health by making better use of leaf crops in their diets.  An area that I need
some help researching is the  partial harvest of leaves from multi-purpose
crops.  For  example,  winter wheat being grazed until snowfall then recovering
in the spring to produce a seed crop.  I am having a very hard time finding
information about this agricultural technique, which seems to have a lot of
potential for increasing total nutrient production for peasant farmers and
gardeners.  These folks often suffer from malnutrition and often have to produce
food for their families on very small parcels of land. This seems like a
technique that doesn't require any capital investment to increase food
production,  just some practical information.  

Edible wild greens and garden and field weeds can contribute significantly to
the food supply when combined with improved leaf drying techniques.  I feel that
the use of partial leaf  harvests  from cultivated crops would greatly
strengthen this strategy. But it is quite difficult finding information about
it. 

I would very much appreciate any help in the search for information along these
lines (including anything on the grazing of winter wheat).  So far I've seen one
article on partial leaf harvest of Cassava in Zaire, which I can no longer
locate, and the following mention of partial leaf harvest of cowpeas:
	"According to Oomen and Grubben, some African farmers believe that a
moderate harvest of cowpea leaves and stem tips (about 2T/ha) at flowering
increases seed yield, while removing over 4 t/ha reduces seed yield. "  I  did
some encouraging rough studies with okra and sweet potatoes but without strict
enough control or enough replications  to rely on. 

Among the crops grown commercially that have edible leaves as a potential
secondary value are: 
Abelmoschus esculentus			Okra	
Allium cepa				Onion		
Allium sativum				Garlic	
Amaranthus cruentus			Mexican grain amaranth
Artocarpus heterophyllus			Jackfruit			
Benincasa hispida				Wax gourd 			
Beta vulgaris					Sugar beet
Boermeria nivea				Ramie
Capsicum annuum				Sweet pepper

Capsicum frutescens				Hot Pepper

Carica papaya				Papaya
Chenopodium quinoa			Quinoa
Clitoria ternatea				Butterfly pea

Colocasia esculenta				Celery Stem Taro
Cucurbita maxima				squash gourd

Cucurbita pepo				summer squash			
Cyamopsis tetragolonobus  			Guar, or Cluster bean
Hordeum vulgare				Barley

Ipomoea batatas				Sweet potatoes

Lablab purpureus				Hyacinth bean, lab lab
Phaseous vulgaris				Common Bean
Pisum sativa 					Garden Peas
Psophocarpus tetragonolobus		Winged bean	
Raphanus sativus				Radish	
Sechium edule				Chayote			
Sesamum indicum				Sesame

Spondias purpurea				Spanish Plum, Jocote
Tamarindus indica				Tamarind

Telfairia occidentalis				Fluted Pumpkin			
Trigonella foenum-graecum			Fenugreek

Triticum x aestivum 				Wheat
Vigna radiata					Mung bean
Vigna umbellata				Rice bean 
Vigna unguiculata				Cowpea
Vitis vinifera					Grape

Thanks for any information or leads on where to find it.  Peace and Light,
David Kennedy

---

From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 6 Sep 1995 10:40:35 -0400 (EDT)

------------------------------------------------------------
Lawrence F. London, Jr. - [email-masked] 
http://sunSITE.unc.edu/london/The_Sustainable_Farmstead.html
http://sunSITE.unc.edu/london/permaculture.html
http://sunSITE.unc.edu/london/permaculture.faq
http://sunSITE.unc.edu/london/sunSITE-PC-mailarchive
------------------------------------------------------------

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 06 Sep 1995 15:44:41 WST
From: Victor Guest <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Subject: Re: multi-use leaf crops (fwd)

Hi, sorry I have been so long in getting into this letter but here goes.
Lucerne (alfa alfa ) makes a nice tea, and can be cut continuously.
Oats can be grazed quite heavily and will recover.
Control of stock is very important.
Silver beet and celery can be used by taking mature leaves from the outside
I am quite concious that that peasant farmers, without mechanical harvesters
should not be mono  farming. The best advise I can give you is to 
use Permaculture thinking to design the gardens for these people. The 
land/garden/plot, should be set up to provide 4 layers of food, and a 
variety on each layer.

This would look like 
Ground Layer: Potatoes, Taroes, Carrots, etc, 
Cover Layer: Herbs, Lettuce, Cabbage, Beet, Garlic, Alfa alfa for stock etc.
climbing Layer: Beans, Peas, Lentils, Tomatoes etc.
Fruit Tree Layer: Grow all types of local fruit trees and allow vines to
climb on them.
Protection Layer: plant deciduous trees, Banna Grass and use this layer to
           provide a wind beak/sun shade/mulch material/fertilizer for the 
           garden.  

 Companion planting will stop most bugs and enhance the growth.

You put local plants in to replace the names I have given you.

Prepare the plot/garden where you can channel water run off and dig out the 
plot to a metre depth if possible. line the plot with paper if sandy or
porous and fill this with any absorbant organic (suitable)material you can 
get. You can overfill the plot with material, and it wont hurt. Plant into 
soil.( which you can put back.) Also add worms and all of your food scraps.
I have been told that in Zimbabwe an area equivalent to a door, is
enough to feed a family.

Best of luck.

>Thanks for any information or leads on where to find it.  Peace and Light,

Regards,
          Vic
--
Victor Guest   V.G.Guest                      Perth, Western Australia
[email-masked]                         3 McKee Plce Kingsley. 6026
                ----: Sustainable Agriculture :----   Tel. (09) 3092108
--: The Land Management Society & The Permaculture Association:----