permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

Centre for Biodiversity and utilisation and Development (CBUD)
<http://www.knust.edu.gh/cbud/about_cbud.htm>

What is CBUD?
The Centre for Biodiversity and utilisation and Development (CBUD) is a programme hosted by the Kwame Nkrumah Univresity 
of Science and Technology (KNUST) and funded by the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Accra. It is located within the 
Institute of Renewable Natural Resources (IRNR) on the KNUST campus in Kumasi, Ghana.

Food Resources identified so far

Since the start of the programme in 1998, CBUD has identified a number of food resources that are considered endangered 
or marginalised:

- PREKESE (Tetrapleura tetraptera)
 Prekese (Tetrapheura tetraptera) which is an indigenous tree species belonging to the Mimosaceae family is one of the 
one hundred and fifty seven class IV. timber tree species. It is popular among the Akans of Ghana for its use as a spice 
and medicine for many ailments. Traditionally, the fruits, leaves, bark and roots are attributed to have important 
medicinal properties.
USES OF PREKESE
Prekese has many potential uses and should therefore not be allowed to be destroyed. For instance it is a potential 
source of raw material for the growing pole industry of Ghana, which is currently based on teak. Farmers are critical of 
the negative environmental impact of teak therefore a suitable indigenous substitute which is agroforestry and 
environmentally friendly, Prekese will be most welcomed by all classes of farmers/and tree growers. Other potential uses 
of prekese include;

- SNAILS (Achatina spp.) & CRABS (Potoma spp.)

- INDIGENOUS LEAFY VEGETABLES (over 20 species, including cocoyam, Celosia, wild lettuce, Amaranthus, Talinum, bitter 
leaves, vegetable jute, roselle, egg plant, cowpea, cassava, sweet potato, Cleome)

- GRASSCUTTERS (Thryonomys swinderianus)
Grasscutter what is it ?
The grasscutter (Thryonomys swinderianus) is a rodent of the suborder Hystricomorpha. The average adult weight is 3kg 
for females and 4.5kg for males. It is the second largest African rodent after the porcupine.
Importance of Grasscutter rearing
1. It is a source of protein. Its meat is of excellent quality and is preferred by people from almost all tribes in 
Ghana and many African Countries.

- KROBONKO or FLUTED PUMPKIN ( Telfairia occidentals)
 Telfairia occidentalis, commonly called Fluted Pumpkin has other common names in various languages, which include: 
Fluted Gourd, Telfairia Nut (English); Calabaza Costillada (Spanish); Iroko (Nigeria); Krobonko (Ghana); Oroko, 
Pondokoko, Gonugbe (Sierra Leone).
It belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae; and originated from Tropical West Africa (not widely known in other parts of the 
tropics). It is cultivated mainly in West Africa, especially Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone. The crop is grown both for 
its leaves and for the oily seeds contained in its large ribbed fruits.
Uses and Nutritional Values
-The young succulent/ vigorous shoots and leaves (from female plants) are 
used as a cooked vegetable.
-Seeds are ground for use in soups or boiled and eaten as a nut. Seeds contain 30% protein and a high percentage of a 
non-drying oil.
        

All these food resources have the capacity to significantly increase the nutritional status of their consumers, as they 
are high in protein, vitamins and essential minerals.

Some of these resources even have special medicinal uses; others can be transformed into other products such as candy, 
beverages, baby food, condiments, soap, furniture and electricity poles in the case of prekese, for instance.