Native to northern India, the drought-tolerant moringa tree is now grown throughout Asia, South America and Africa. As a crop, the moringa tree’s durability and rapid growth (up to 10 feet each year!) make it ideal for low-income, rural communities.

Often called “the miracle tree,” the moringa is more than your average tree. The wood is soft and doesn’t make the best building material but its regenerative bark is perfect for wood-burning stoves. Moringa oil, in addition to being a substitute for vegetable oil, is used in soaps, lamps and as mechanical lubrication for farm and food production equipment. But the moringa’s greatest use is nutritional.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, just 25 grams of moringa leaf powder supplies a person with their entire day’s calcium and vitamin A needs, half the day’s protein and potassium needs and about three-quarters of the day’s iron needs. Eaten as a vegetable course during meals, moringa leaves improve childhood nutrition, birth weights and the quality of breast-milk.

The Hunger Project-Benin has had success during the past year with a programme called Moringa ++ that promotes the cultivation of moringa trees in epicentre communities as sources of income, environmental sustainability and child nutrition.

Youth groups at Kissamey and Dekpo Epicentres mobilised to plant thousands of moringa, as well as apple, cashew and oil palm trees, which contribute to the overall food security of each community. Additional groups grind and package powdered moringa leaves to be sold and generate income. Combined with other epicentre workshops, this sturdy tree and Moringa ++ are empowering communities to achieve sustainable self-reliance in the areas of health, income, food security and education.

« Back to Benin Page