#Africannightshade hashtag#solanumvillosum hashtag#solanumscabrum in Swahili “mnavu”, “managu”
At hashtag#ECHOseedbank, we safeguard two powerful yet overlooked species of African nightshades.
The two varieties are:
Solanum villosum — small leaves, slightly bitter, bright orange berries when ripe.
Solanum scabrum — broader leaves, non-bitter, deep black berries.
For years, African nightshade has been labeled a “food for the poor.”
Yet nutritionally, it is anything but poor. Rich in micronutrients. A climate -resilient plant. Very easy to grow ( birds can also help
) and the plant is generous with seeds!
I love the taste of these leaves. Try hashtag#mnavukuku (sauce of chicken added mnavu leaves) with ugali and a hot a pepper on the side
Take tender leaves lightly boiled, then cooked with onions, tomatoes, carrots, maybe coconut / fresh milk. This is a heritage cuisine.
hashtag#africannightshade produces abundant berries. Saving seed is simple: harvest ripe berries, process, dry, store. A farmer can secure seasons of planting from one harvest. That is sovereignty.
What about the berries themselves?
With Solanum villosum, the orange ripe fruits are edible (never green).
With Solanum scabrum, the black berries are traditionally used for natural dyes.
hashtag#Africannightshade cannot remain in the margins,lets maximize its potential 
I visited the hashtag#Nyakazi vegetable processing unit in hashtag#seedssaversNetworkKenya led by youths it was impressive how they make some of these hashtag#NUCS available for the urban customers and support their production by buying from farmers
see one of their products in the picture
hashtag#NUS hashtag#AfricanNightshade hashtag#SeedSystems hashtag#Agrobiodiversity hashtag#NutritionSensitiveAgriculture hashtag#FoodSovereignty hashtag#echofightshunger hashtag#myfoodisafrican hashtag#NUCS hashtag#agroecology
