Zwiḽiwa zwa Zwimela kha ḽa Afrika Tshipembe

Indigenous food crops provide sustenance to both man and beast.

Zwo bviswaho nga vha thengiso ya zwiḽiwa zwa zwimela kha ḽifhasi zwo sumbedza uri Afrika ḽo dzhenelela vhukuma kha u bveledzwa ha zwo kha ḽifhasi nga zwimela zwo no swika 119. Hezwi zwi vhambedzwa zwavhuḓi na 126 ya Europe, na 68 ya vhukati ha America na 97 ya South America. Kha zwimela zwa 119 zwa u rengisa zwa Afrika, zwa 16 zwi southern Africa: hezwi ndi gum Arabic (acacia gum), baobab, buchu, waterblommetjie, rooibos tea, sour fig, jelly melon (Cucumis metuliferus), honeybush tea, finger millet, palm wine (Hyphaene coriacea), pearl millet, Livingstone kana African potato, marula, sorghum, Bambara groundnut na muṋawa.
Zwiḽiwa zwa mvelo zwa Afrika Tshipembe hu vha hu tshi khou ambiwa zwimela zwine vhubvo ha hone havha Afrika Tshipembe ho kateliwa na zwimela zwine zwo ḓisiwa zwa zwino zwi vho dzhiiwa sa zwa mvelo. Hezwi zwimela zwi abveledzwa zwa dovha zwa wanala kha shango kha mutsho une wa vha uri wo fhambana hune nnzhi dza wanala ḓakani.
Zwimela zwa mvelo zwo khethekanyiwa zwa bva zwipiḓa zwiraru; grains, miroho na mitshelo. Afrika Tshipembe aḽi tou londa zwavhuḓi zwiḽiwa zwa zwimela zwa Afrika tshipembe fhedzi shango ḽoṱhe ḽo no thoma u zwi dzhiela nnṱha. Kei apple (Dovyalis caffra) i vho ṱavhiwa na California, jelly melons (Cucumis metuliferus) dzi ya ṱavhiwa lwa u rengisa kha ḽa France, Israel, California na New Zealand hune dza divhiwa sa kiwano.

Zwimela zwa Grain zwa Mvelo

Ndi mbeu kha starch na protein-ine ya vha yo itelwa u ḽiwa. Hezwi zwi ya dovha zwa khethekanyiwa kha cereals na pulses.
Cereals: Pearl millet, grain sorghum
Pulses: cowpea, bambara groundnut, mungbean, marama bean (seeds)

Zwimela zwa Mvelo Zwine zwa vha Miroho

Zwi ṱavhiwa ubva kha maṱari maṱuku,tsinde na stalk ya kaṋiwa ya kona uya u shuma sa zwiḽiwa. Hezwi zwimela zwi ya khethekanywa ubva kha midzi/thanda na miroho ya maṱari.
Leafy: cleome, cowpea, amaranth, blackjack, Jew’s mallow
Roots/tubers: cassava, amadumbe, marama bean (tuber)

Mitshelo ya Mvelo

Ndi mbeu ya lukanda ine ya ḓifha. Tsumbo ya mitshelo ndi marula, sourplum, monkey orange na sour fig. U tshi nga engedza kha pfushi dzine dza vha nayo, miri hei i dovha ya vha na zwinwe zwine zwa vha zwa vha zwa ndeme khayo: iya bveledza na musi zwi tshi khou konḓa sa tsumbo gomelelo, iya kona na u vala tshifhinga tsha nḓala musi hu sina zwiḽiwa.

Fhethu hu Hulwane Hune ha Bveledziwa kha la Afrika Tshipembe

Amaranth, black jack, cleome na Jew’s mallow ndi dzone dzine dza shumiseswa mahayani i ya kaṋiwa nga vhunzhi.
Bambara groundnut, cowpea grow in Mpumalanga, North West, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal na Limpopo provinces.
Cleome, Jews mallow, amaranthus dzi wanala Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, North West na Gauteng provinces.
Marula, sourplum, wild plum grow in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo na Eastern Cape provinces.

Ushumiswa ha Zwimela sa Zwiḽiwa

Zwiḽiwa zwa mvelo zwi ya ḽiwa zwo tou vhiliswa, zwo omiswa kana zwo tou gotshiwa na kha dzi sobo.
Dzine dza vha uri dzi kha ḓi vha ṱhukhu dzi ya gotshiwa kana dza vhiliswa kana dza omiswa dza ita fulauru. Thanda dzi ya shuma musi hu tshi khou ṱoḓea starch kha uvha zwiḽiwa zwo no nga rice na mugayo. Tshaka dza mitshelo dzi ya ḽiwa dzo kaṋiwa kana sa nḓuhu dzi shuma na kha u ita jam, jelly na juice.

Mbuyelo ya u Ṱavha Hezwi Zwimela zwa Mvelo

Low input requirements - a zwi shumisesi madi ‘Western’ crops.
Highly nutritious - dzi ya engedza vitamin na mineral kha starch.
Dzi ya konḓelela gomelelo, zwikhokhonono na malwadze

Translated by Khalirendwe Nekhavhambe