THE OMBIDI SURVEY

Selection of farmers

Distribution

People in the area around Ogongo college speak predominantly Oshikwambi while most people in the other areas speak Oshikwanyama. (The work group that interpreted the results in 1999 could, however, handle most of the seven dialects that are used in the four regions.)

Gender

Age

Household size

OMBIDI SURVEY RESULTS

SPECIES USED AS SPINACH

CONCLUSIONS

• The survey revealed that many species are used as Ombidi in north central Namibia. Most Namibians can list the names of five to six species but the final plant list include an amazing total of 14 species. see table 1 and 2.
• People in the area speak seven dialects and there has been confusion about local names, where a new name was just another dialect word for the same crop. The survey therefore gave good information about the use of Ombidi but was not precise enough to identify the various species that are used in the process. 
• The detailed follow-up by the work group (1999-2000) checked all local names, collected some herbarium specimens and took photos to establish the correct identity of each species. The initial survey was still useful as the foundation for investigations.
• Oshitendadikwa (Helichrysum leptolepsis) was deleted after the survey. The species was included because Rodin (1985) reported that leaves and stems were eaten raw. Where farmers recognized the name, they all described it as a plant for curing children’s eye-sickness.

 Table 1.  The initial species list, based on literature and the survey. (See the corrected list in table 2)

Comments:

Omundjulu 2 is identified as the species also called Omudjenene. It is only used by few people while all others contest that it is edible. It was therefore left out of the investigations.

Elopa is not a very precise name as it signifies food from plants and is used about many species.

Santa Maria. Unidentified species. Most farmers do not recognise the name. Some farmers indicate only medicinal uses (e.g. curing flu).

Eliwa (cooking melon) is used for preparing ombidi, but only the fruit is used, so it is not considered as an ombidi species in this document.

Omudjenene (Gisekia pharnaceoides) is only used by few people while others say it is not edible. It was later on left out of the listing.
 

Table 2  The Final list of spinach species (after correction by the Ombidi work group)

The ombidi work group scrutinised the listing in table 1 and checked the different species. Due to some confusion about local and botanical names used in Rodin (1985) it was decided to turn around and start from the local names and only list species known to be used as ombidi. The botanists would then have to work out the scientific names later on.

The work group had at that time been strengthened by including one more very experienced woman who also knew the names in Oshikwambi and a visit by a botanist was of great help for sorting out most of the species.
 

IMPORTANCE AND POPULARITY OF OMBIDI SPECIES

This question turned out to be complicated because most farmers don’t use only one species but rather prefer to mix the more common species. Some farmers listed species but did not rank them. 

Table 3. Species that farmers prefer.

CONCLUSIONS

• All of the farmers knew many species that could be used for Ombidi. On average farmers could list 7 to 8 species, and 4 farmers (17%) could name 10 species for this purpose.
• Seven of the Ombidi species (above the line) are well known and used by most farmers. A few of the local names may include more than one species.
• The two most important species are Ombidi/Omboga and Ekwakwa. They were clearly listed as the important species by most of the farmers, and often mentioned together as a mixture.
• Nine to ten other species are known by or used by fewer farmers.

Classification of species

Table 4. Simple classification of ombidi species in north central Namibia. 

 Notes:

2) Omafo omakunde. Not eaten as freshly cooked, but made into evanda first and always mixed with Eliwa when the meal eventually is being prepared.

3) Omboga yaasita. This name literally means "the cattle herders' ombidi"

4) enyangwa, 5) Okapoke.  New additions, but not popular with most people. They are grown by few people and most growers only use the seed and fruits, not the leaves.
 
 

Table 5. Species mentioned as not popular when other species are available.

CONCLUSIONS:

• Most farmers (92%) mentioned that there are species they do not use for Ombidi preparation if they can avoid it. 
• Especially the common species, Eshilalodi, was avoided if there were enough of the more popular species available. 
• The species Omundjulu is listed here as unpopular by 3 farmers although most farmers are very fond of it. It could indicate a confusion of the name between two species of Omundjulu. Rodin (1985) reports that Omundjulu #2 (Gisekia pharnaceoides) was not eaten in some areas, possibly due to bitter qualities. Some people confuse omundjulu with a similar species, engamundjulu. 
• Many other species are also mentioned as unpopular by some of the farmers, but the reasons for this were not given. 
• Okaulu komukwende is not used for Ombidi under normal conditions and is only eaten when food is very scarce. It is even embarrassing to be seen using it  - it is an emergency food.
• Two farmers (8%) indicate that "bean" leaves (Omakunde=cowpea) are not nice. This should be investigated further as cowpea leaves otherwise have the largest production potential among the Ombidi species. 

AVAILABILITY OF OMBIDI

CONCLUSIONS

• All farmers who own a field pick the Ombidi from their own field. Many farmers (67%) also pick from the neighbours’ fields as well. A few farmers sometimes pick ombidi in a neighbouring village (13%).
• 17 farmers (71%) indicated that they had enough Ombidi for the household, while 7 farmers (29%) did not have enough. In this small survey there was no clear linkage between lack of Ombidi and the size of the household.
• 11 farmers (46%) found it was just as easy to find Ombidi as in the old days. 
• 13 farmers (54%) felt that Ombidi was not so common as before. They thought the decline in Ombidi was due to:
- lack of rain/reduced rainfall:   9 (38%)
- reduced soil fertility /not enough manure: 4 (17%)
- too many people:    1  (4%)
- seeds disappearing:    1  (4%)

WAYS TO INCREASE PRODUCTION

Table 6. Ways of increasing Ombidi production

CONCLUSIONS:

• Ombidi is usually picked where plants are abundant and is therefore not cultivated. 33% of the farmers therefore did not know ways to increase production or indicated that nothing could be done. 
• The majority of farmers (67%) could mention one or two ways to increase production of Ombidi. The most common advice is to use manure in the field (33%) followed by using manure and spread Ombidi seeds (21%) or just spread Ombidi seeds (17%) 
• One farmer suggested to move the house. It was the traditional method to increase soil fertility by moving the entire homestead within the field after some years and then begin cultivating the more fertile old house site.
• A few farmers actually used the method of spreading Ombidi seeds already. Their experience should be studied in more detail, as it could form the basis for a simple production recommendation.

PICKING OMBIDI

CONCLUSIONS

• Mainly women and young girls are involved in picking the Ombidi. The farmer (usually a woman) typically picks Ombidi with the help of her children (mainly girls). Where boys assist, they are mainly the small boys. When the farmer is very old, her children (now adults) and/or grandchildren pick the ombidi.
• Question 10 was understood as what is needed for Ombidi and most farmers therefore mentioned weeding, collecting firewood and fetching water. The few farmers that were more precise about the sequence said they weeded their fields during the cool morning and then collected Ombidi later in the day.
• In most cases (79%), neighbours were allowed to pick Ombidi on a farmer's field. Only where there was not enough Ombidi for own use, or the farmer did not have her own field, neighbours were not allowed to pick. A few farmers emphasised that it is a tradition to help each other.

STORING OMBIDI

CONCLUSIONS:

• Question 12 was confusing for the farmers and no clear conclusion could be drawn. It seems, however, that all three preparation methods  (freshly cooked, dried as a flat layer and dried as a round cake) may be used for any species of Ombidi. The work group of 1999 later indicated many more details on the use of each species.
• All farmers knew how to dry ombidi either in a flat layer or as round cakes. No other storage methods were mentioned.

OMBIDI AS A GIFT OR CASH CROP

CONCLUSIONS:

• Most farmers (83%) answered that they give away Ombidi to family and neighbours.
• 12 farmers (50%) also give away Ombidi at special occasions. These occasions are typically:
- Weddings (33%)
- Birthdays (29%)
- Guests (8%)
- When a new house is inaugurated (4%)
• 42% of interviewed farmers do not sell Ombidi  but use it for own consumption or give it away. 
• 46% of the farmers sell Ombidi. Most of the sale was very local, seldom did they sell at larger markets in town:
- pension places (21%)
- open markets (Omtala) (17%)
- neighbours (8%)
- hospitals (4%)

THE TRADITIONAL ROLE OF OMBIDI

CONCLUSIONS:

• Most farmers mention that Ombidi and Omavanda generally has something to do with good luck in most aspects of life. Some use the words "blessings" or "blessed" and mention a symbolic hand (friendship or a hand forming the round cakes ??) 
• The traditions require Ombidi for certain occasions. Ombidi is typically used:
- when someone is going on a (long) travel
- when someone visits a house for the first time. Especially the new son-in-law or daughter-in-law but also any important visitor.
- when the men are going to the cattle posts (but not on their return)
- to keep people and their belongings safe
- when moving into a new house, one should place evanda under the floor to bring good luck and safety.
• If a housewife does not have Omavanda in the house, she is considered a lazy woman, irresponsible or other bad things.

COOKING OMBIDI (see also the appendix)

CONCLUSIONS

a. Cooking for storage as Omavanda

• Ombidi seedlings are collected during the field work.
• The seedlings are usually washed in order to get the sand out. Most farmers do not add salt or any other ingredients at this stage.
• The Ombidi is left in a pot to boil overnight on the fireplace, after the daily meal has been cooked. This saves firewood and work and the Ombidi will be cool next morning. 
• The Ombidi is then usually pounded and formed into balls, squeezed for surplus water and placed to dry on the thatched roof. Alternatively, the Ombidi is just left to dry in a thin layer on a clean sack. 
• Properly dried cakes (Omavanda) or layers of Ombidi  can store well for many months.

b. Cooking for consumption

• The dried Omavanda cakes are broken into smaller pieces, water and salt is added and the mixture is boiled for about 20 minutes and served. Oil or fat is always added during the cooking process. Vegetables or spices such as tomatoes, onions, chillies are often added if they are available at time of cooking. 
• Traditional households still use the local ingredients that may be difficult to get for a town household. Traditional oils that may be used are: cattle fat (omaadhi eengobe), melon seed oil (omaadhi eenhanga), Marula seed oil (ondjove) or Omhunghete seed oil (omaadi omanghete)
• Town households follow the same cooking methods but use ingredients that can be easily bought in shops. They use ordinary cooking oil and some add soup powders to improve the taste of the Ombidi. 

FIELD EXPERIMENTS

The aim was to study cultivation of local Ombidi species as an alternative to the “European” vegetables that were grown at the college. The introduced vegetable species were generally difficult to grow due to the many pests and they also required lots of irrigation water.

Five plots of 1m x 5m were sown with Ombidi (Cleome gynandra), Ekwakwa (Amaranthus thunbergii), Eshilalodi, Omundjulu (Sesuvium sesuvioides) and Ombudje (Sesbania pachycarpa) respectively. Seed had been collected locally earlier in the year and were just kept dry until sowing. 
The seed was therefore sown at the end of the season where the rain disappears and the growth slows down due to colder nights. Air humidity also decreased considerably. The plots were given small amounts of irrigation water to germinate. The irrigation was however quite erratic.

The soil was very sandy which is common for the area and relatively infertile. Seeds were sown in rows on bare land (raised beds) with one species in each plot to establish a pure stand for observations. The plots were extremely exposed to sun and dry winds.

The germination in all plots was very low and disappointing, apart from the large-seeded legume, Ombudje, which germinated well. The growth was slow. After germination, the plots had only a few plants each and no real records were made. 
The plots were later abandoned, but the experiment gave some ideas for future experiments with the wild species of Ombidi:

• It is important to select fertile soils preferably with manure or compost. Do not plant the ombidi species on land that is abandoned due to difficult soils. Select land that is not too exposed to the drying winds during the dry season. 
• Try to establish the first crop early in the rainy season where Ombidi occurs naturally (December-January). Most seeds of Ombidi species are very small. They should therefore be sown very shallow. Consider broadcasting of seed and raking it into the soil.
• If seeds are sown late or in the dry season, the soil should be kept moist all the time until the crop has germinated. A slight mulching or sowing in the stubble from a previous crop may increase the germination by reducing the temperature in the soil surface. 
• Plants from semi-arid areas often have a seed dormancy period for some months to protect them from germination during the off-season. It is not known if Ombidi species have a dormancy period, but germination tests of seeds before sowing will show if they are ready to germinate.
• Let some plants in each plot develop to maturity and scatter their seeds in the same beds. Use the same beds so the soil over the years will be saturated with seeds of the same species. 
• The Ombidi species do not compete well with other weeds. Keep the plots well weeded to keep out other species. 

SELECTED LITERATURE

• The Ethnobotany of the Kwanyama Ovambos 1985. Robert J. Rodin. 

The book is a classic for ethnobotany in northern Namibia. It is unfortunately out of stock and no longer available in Namibia. 

• Oshanas  - Sustaining People, Environment and Development in Central Owambo, Namibia.  Alan Marsh and Mary Seely (editors) 1992. 

One of the most popular sources of information about the Oshana areas. Well illustrated. Available in most Namibian bookshops in a newer bilingual version (English and Oshindonga): Understanding the Oshana environment by john Pallett, 1994. ISBN 0-86848-888-7

• DINTERIA No. 23  First National Workshop on Plant Genetic Resources. edited by G.L.Maggs and B. Strohbach. ISSN 0012 – 3013.

Other publications:

• Crop pests in Northern Namibia: Pearl Millet, Sorghum, Maize, Cowpea and Cucurbits. A. Larsen (editor). 1999. Publisher: Farming Systems Research and Extension Unit, North Central Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Water & Rural Development. ISBN 0-86976-483-7

Available at the Directorate of Agricultural Extension in Ongwediva, Private Bag 5556, Oshakati, NAMIBIA. 

• Cat’s whishers. Cleome gynandra L.  Chweya, James A., and Naneus A. Mnzava. 1997. Promoting the conservation and use of underutilized and neglected crops. 11. Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Gatersleben/International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome, Italy. ISBN 92-9043-303-5

This new publication only describes Cleome gynandra (Ombidi) but it is very useful for ideas on domestication of all wild species. Also available as a very compact, downloadable Acrobat reader file on the Internet from International Plant Genetic Resources Institute. (376 Kb)

• Traditional African Vegetables: Directory of Research and Development Specialists. Koeijer, H.de (Compiler), J.A. Chweya and A.F. Attere. 1998. Neglected leafy green vegetable crops in Africa. Vol 1. International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome Italy. ISBN 92-9043-393-0

A list of contact persons working on Traditional African vegetables. It is still quite new but may become the main forum for Ombidi research in future. Available as a downloadable file as described above.