Review by Choice Review
The editors have constructed a surprisingly useful collection of reports that address the nutritional and social significance of indigenous vegetables for African populations in sub-Saharan urban environments. The organization of the chapters is very logical: the topic is defined; the crops are assessed; and production and marketing issues are identified. One gets the impression, based on the variety of vegetables mentioned, that Africans can and will eat anything that grows. It highlights how narrowly focused vegetable production has become globally--but particularly in the US--in terms of the vegetables grown specifically for human consumption. From that perspective, the extensive tables of potential crops and their nutritional value, and the focus on sub-Saharan African practices, make this book a potentially useful companion to ethnobotany courses. It illustrates the ingenuity of indigenous groups in maximizing the botanical resources at their disposal. The final two chapters, which discuss urban agriculture and land use planning, and policy questions for the future, are largely off-topic and self-promoting. However, this remains a useful work and a good reference for students. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, researchers, and faculty. M. S. Coyne University of Kentucky
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
