Aibika is highly nutritious, easy to grow

 By GOU BUE RAUKA

EXPERTS say a healthy lifestyle makes people live a happy and healthy life. 

There are things that describe healthy living; one does not smoke, does not chew betel nut, eats nutritious and healthy foods, and exercises regularly.  

This may sound simple but it is not easy to do all these things at once.

One thing we can certainly do is to grow and eat healthy and nutritious foods. 

This is possible as we have the potential to grow and eat nutritious and healthy foods. 

Papua New Guinea is blessed with the necessary resources to produce a variety of fresh produce such as vegetables and fruits that can contribute to healthy living. 

Growing fresh produce is seen to be an investment for food security. 

Green leafy vegetables, both introduced and traditional, are some of the nutritious crops that can contribute to healthy living. 

One such leafy vegetable is aibika. Aibika is a traditional crop to PNG, and is very popular in rural and urban areas.  

There are many local dishes prepared with this leafy vegetable. 

It is not only delicious but highly nutritious, making it one of the popular vegetables in the country. 

According to the 2001 issue of the PNG Medical Journal, green leafy vegetables, including aibika, were rated at the top of most consumed food in ur­ban and rural areas around Port Moresby. 

It is an indication that consumption of green leafy vegetables in the city is very high on a daily basis. 

Aibika is found every day at roadside markets, main rural and urban markets, and supermarkets, an indication of its popularity.  

It can contribute to healthy living as it has a high content of some of the essential nutrients that our body requires. 

It is high in protein, calcium, iron, vitamins A and C and folic acid.

Because of it importance in terms of nutrients, the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) is making efforts  to improve the crop. 

This is part of NARI’s efforts to conserve, manage and utilise genetic diversity of the major food crop species in PNG. 

Through an external funded project, NARI is in the process of screening and evaluating the best cultivars aibika that are resistant to insects and disease, as well as tolerant to changing climate conditions such as drought, excess water, and salinity.

NARI has prioritised work on abikia because it can provide number of nutrients that are useful for the effective function of our body. 

Aibika is capable of providing more nutrients than what our body requires in a day, thus makes this leafy vegetable an important crop. 

On average, our body uses four kilo-joules of energy per kilogram of body weight per hour, and depending on the body weight and the type of activity we do, energy requirements differ between individuals. 

Aibika can provide contribute to these energy requirements. 

A lack of protein and vitamins can lead to prevention of some functions such as repairing and creating new cells, tissues, hormones, enzymes and muscles. 

Aibika can supply the body with protein, calcium, vitamins A and C and folic acid, which contribute to effective functioning of these vital processes in the body.

The crop is easy to grow and requires little input. 

It can survive in any soil type with good performance in fertile sandy loam and clay loam soils. It can grow in highly alkaline soils of coral atolls. 

It could grow from the lowlands and up to 2000 metres above sea level. 

It can be cultivated in seasonally dry lowlands with annual rainfall of 1000-2000mm and in the wet lowlands with rainfall of more than 2000mm. 

They can continue to yield for a year or for several years when planted in rich fertile soils and with high tolerance to pests and diseases. 

It has a very good potential for market and a good income for growers. 

It contributes to a significant amount of protein replacement and energy requirements, and has much better nutritional qualities than most introduced vegetables, making it high importance to food security in PNG. 

Aibika is one crop that is traditional to PNG, easy to grow and has high nutritious value. 

It has the potential to fetch good cash income for growers because of its popularity. 

Growing and utilising this leafy vegetable along with other fruits and vegetables we certainly can grow (organically) can contribute to healthy living.