Bambara groundnut as a food, nutritional and income security crop in SubSaharan Africa

An over-reliance on the three major global food staples; maize, wheat, and rice, to continue feeding the world is a dangerous approach. Bambara groundnut originated in West-Africa, but was adopted in many African countries, and is produced almost exclusively by small-scale farmers. It has good levels of nutrients, particularly protein, carbohydrates and fat, as well as lysine, in such a balanced manner that it has been termed a “complete food”. The long duration of cooking (hard-to-cook) of bambara groundnut, and the low number of uses in food preparation (in contrast to groundnut) are also factors responsible for lower levels of production and utilization compared to other legumes. Bambara groundnuts have more than 20% protein and can be used as a meat supplement or replacer. It also has high levels of iron and zinc. Landraces with dark-coloured seeds such as red or black, generally contain higher levels of nutrients and minerals than the cream-white or plain-white coloured landraces. The iron content of red bambara seeds was found to be double that of cream-coloured seeds. Antinutrients such as phytic acid can reduce the bioavailability of iron and zinc, but dehulling of the seed can reduce antinutrients significantly. Bambara groundnut has significant potential as a food security crop, but concerted efforts should be made by governments to market the crop, and to develop products and new uses for the seed and the plant. Plant breeding efforts can improve yield and cooking quality. This paper presents progress on the industrial application for food and nutritional security and genetic improvement of bambara groundnut through breeding.