Plans for ‘Tree of Life’ Plantation
by Laea Medley (Independent Online) …The iLembe District Municipality and Dr Samson Tesfay, a post-doctoral student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s discipline of horticultural science, are planning a plantation project for the plant.
The project will harvest Moringa pods for biodiesel processing, using small-scale emerging farmers in the area.
“We are still waiting for the tender to come through, but we hope to start the plantation within the next year,” Tesfay said.
Moringa seeds are extremely high in oil and “the tree can survive in relatively unfavourable conditions and does not require sophisticated and expensive farming methods or inputs”, Tesfay said.
Moringa trees are also extremely effective in combating malnutrition, especially among babies and nursing mothers.
“Moringa leaves contain more vitamin A than carrots, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, more vitamin C than oranges and their protein quality rivals that of milk and eggs,” Tesfay said.
The tree has also been used for water purification in southern and east Africa. “The seeds are effective in removing about 98 percent of impurities and microbes from contaminated water,” Tesfay said. READ MORE
