10th U6+ Consortium of African Universities International Conference

Applying a socio-biological lens to Indigenous food systems reveals how dietary practices, nutritional choices, and food-related rituals emerge from intertwined biological, ecological, and cultural forces. Socio-biology links evolutionary pressures with social behavior, showing Indigenous foodways as co‑evolved systems shaped by long human–environment relationships that favor sustainability, resilience, and cultural continuity. Empirical evidence from Kenya highlights the nutritional, economic, and health value of African Indigenous Vegetables (AIVs) such as amaranth, spider plant, cowpea leaves, and African nightshade. These AIVs are rich in essential micronutrients iron (up to 7.5 mg/100 g), vitamin A (up to 3,500 µg/100 g), and vitamin C making them effective tools against “hidden hunger.” Up to 40% of rural households rely on AIVs for roughly ten months each year, illustrating their role in household food security. Controlled trials in Western Kenya show that households receiving combined nutrition and production interventions had a Women’s Dietary Diversity Score of 5.1 versus 4.2 in controls (p = 0.035), demonstrating measurable diet quality gains. Beyond nutrition, Indigenous food practices support ecosystem conservation and cultural identity, while offering agribusiness potential: local markets for traditional crops and wild foods (for example, tamarind and baobab) can contribute over 30% of rural household income. Traditional medicinal plants further expand the system’s utility; ethnobotanical surveys document more than 200 medicinal species used locally, with about 60% of rural households depending on plant-based remedies for primary healthcare. Framing these practices within a socio-biological model integrates ecological adaptation, cultural resilience, and market viability, underscoring Indigenous knowledge as a critical asset for addressing food insecurity, biodiversity loss, and climate change. This perspective positions Indigenous food systems not merely as cultural relics but as dynamic, adaptive strategies that sustain biological health, reinforce social cohesion, and offer scalable pathways for resilient, sustainable food systems at local and global scales.