I’m taking the liberty of elevating a question form our friend Dirk Enneking to a full post, because I suspect more peple see posts than comments. Can you help Dirk?
Does any of our learned friends from India, Nepal and Ethiopia who have posted here, have a current perspective on the role that grass pea (guaya, khesari) (Lathyrus sativus) plays in contributing to food security in their part of the world?
I am grown up from one of the kebels in Simada woreda,South Gonder Zone-Amhara Region(Ethioipa).I have grow up seeing a large nubmer of men,women and children crapled and suddenly paralizsed by eating Grass pea,”Guya” in Amharic.Of course the farmers new that it is relativelly productive and help in ensuring food security.After 15 year I got the opportunity to stay for 10 days and meet people who stayed victim of this poisonous crop.My heart is highly affected by what they voice.The point is that normal people can move on to Metema and Humera areas on Sudam border as migratory seasonal works and returned back with some money to supplemet their clothing,housing,medication,and agricultural imputes expenses.Students,farmers all men and women are doing this.But the handcaped and paralised ones stay at homes.Their fields are not fertilized so poor year,their houses not maintaned,and feel disperate.Added to this most of them do not get any kind of vocational traing to engage in non farm activities.Children are not sent to schools for they could not reach and come back on foot.The recently crapled ones are criyinng of their fate.one said that”We are here below the alive ones and above the dead ones”.They only remember us when ever either they need to collect land revenue tax of just count people;even worse they are taking safetnet weat in our names for we are once at home.
So,i am looking for any one,any organization of any hu8manitarian to contact me for a project idea on how to tacke the problem of these disabled people.Disability due to grass pea,”guya” is more common in South Gonder Zone woreds,which I objectivelly knew Simada Woreda.
let it be
Yes,grass pea(“guaya”) plays a great role in contributing for food security because this crop is relativelly gives better yield in time of rain shortage and could be used as human food and animal food.
But,there is a quest to device amechanism on how to avoid it’s poisonous substance and use and how to help the already handicaped ones.