The garden toothbrush: smiles for men and women farmers in northern Nigeria
Growing traditional vegetables like the African eggplant, or gorongo, is helping a group of farmers who were displaced by Boko Haram to regain and improve their livelihoods, food security, and nutrition — along with their smiles.
© FAO / Pius Utomi Ekpei
Through a project in northern Nigeria, FAO is helping farmers displaced by Boko Haram violence to kick-start local food production, in particular the African eggplant. Known locally as gorongo, this traditional vegetable is an important social ingredient as well as a nutritious one: the raw fruit is often chewed by women to clean their teeth, and it is also eaten as part of marriage and naming ceremonies.
On a recent visit, FAO's Director-General José Graziano da Silva met a group of women working together in a field, growing gorongo among other crops. The women are survivors of Boko Haram attacks on their villages, and are the sole providers for their families. One of the women explained that using the gorongo to clean her teeth was a way to restore a sense of dignity and to bring healthy smiles to her and her friends.
Thanks to their own hard work and the support of the project, the women are no longer in extreme crisis mode, and are hopeful of regaining their self-reliance. They have been able to grow a surplus of vegetables that they can sell to earn cash to cover their needs beyond food, such as health care and education for their children.