permaculture

[<permed@nor.com.au>]

>> This article discusses how the urban populations of Harare in Zimbabwe
>> are turning to urban agriculture in reaction to the ongoing economic
>> collapse of their country
>> http://allafrica.com/stories/200211040448.html 
>> The main crop talked about is maize.
>
>As populations become increasingly dependent on maize, pellagra is a danger.
>Are people taking steps to avoid this? Gary Nabhan relates stories about
>pellagra in Italy in the 1700 & 1800's,
> I love maize, but the African mealies leave me wanting...
>-Rick

In Mollison's book of ferment & nutrition he notes that an alkaline 
substance needs to be used when cooking maize, e.g. a little wood ash, to 
render the proteins digestable. Pellagra is already a big problem in 
Africa due to maize-based diet.
Robyn