Harmony of Heritage: Peanuts and Africa's Nutritional Future

Peanuts and Africa have a long, rich history.

The humble peanut plant was brought to Africa by Portuguese traders and explorers from Brazil sometime in the 1600s, and it quickly became a much-loved plant in the western tropical region of the continent.

The first instance of the peanut in Africa was recorded in 1650 by G.A. Cavazzi da Montecuccolo, an Italian Capuchin missionary who noted his experience in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

It was an instant hit. Some Africans became so enamoured with the peanut that they considered it one of the several plants that possessed a soul.

Fast-forward to today and peanuts are a common sight across Africa. More commonly known as “groundnuts”, peanuts play an important role in people’s diets in many parts of Africa due to the healthy fats and high levels of protein they provide.

And what about the future?

Peanuts have a potentially vital role to play in achieving food security in countries such as Senegal. With a better level of understanding of the peanut genome, researchers are hoping to design genetic variants that are more pest- and drought-resistant, as well as more nutritious – which would be a major breakthrough for many regions of Africa.

All in all, this small legume and this large continent clearly go hand in hand.

Find out more about the history of the peanut here: ‘Peanut & Us’

#agrocrops #groundnuts #pnutking #mani #cacahuate #amendoim #sustainability #video #peanuts #farming #socialawareness #peanut360 #research #SDG #europeanmarkets #european #sudan #Peanutized #spanishjava #peanutbutter #runnerpeanut #java #africa #africapeanut #KacangTanah #Aflatoxin 🥜 #Updates #varieties #snackmanufacturing #peanut360 #peanutproduction #qualitycontrol #reliability #quality #Sustainability #PeanutTrade #Collaboration #Procurement #PeanutBuyers #PeanutSuppliers #innovation #PeanutPlant #GroundnutCultivation #SustainableFarming #PeanutSupplier #PeanutPlantingSeason #ClimateChange #Groundnut #SpanishPeanuts #PeanutPlant #CultivationofGroundnuts