Harvesting Chya leaves, Garden of Skills, Eswatini

Chya is a shrub from Mexico that was imported to Africa because of its resistance to drought and its higher nutritional value than most other leafy vegetables such as spinach, Chinese cabbage and amaranth. It is a good source of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron and vitamins A and C. The leaves are chopped and cooked like spinach. They are also added to soups and stews or added to omelettes with onions. Introduced more than 15 years ago to the association’s projects in Eswatini, cuttings were planted when the Garden of Skills opened, and chya has become particularly well established there, providing vegetables to accompany semolina and rice, particularly when the crop beds are less well stocked at the end of the season.