Here are 11 reasons why we must all go into mass vegetable and Pumpkin Leaves (Ugwu) farming And How Pumpkin leaves can save your life.
Do your suffer from waist pain or lower back problems, acne, excema, stretch marks, Diabetes, liver cirosis, osteoporosis, oedema, kidney problem, weak erection, quick ejaculation, infertility in men and women or low sperm count in men
Yes, lots of Nigerians ‘think’ consuming Pumpkin leaves is beneficial but a large percent of us do not really know the exact benefits it has.
Freshly plucked Ugwu leaves
Popularly called ‘Ugwu’ in Nigeria, pumpkin leaves have various species but the one we will be talking about is the commonest one that Nigerians are used to, which is called ‘telfaira occidentalis’. While many people prefer to cook it as a vegetable with all the condiments that help wet the appetite, some just boil and eat it plain like that or blend it into a shake. What ever the case may be, there are guaranteed level of various nutrients with any style.

Pumpkin leaves has a healthy amount of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron, while still staying very low on the calorie front. Aside from the vision benefits in Vitamin A that the leaves provides, there are also numerous skin benefits. Vitamin C helps to heal wounds and form scar tissue, and maintain healthy bones, skin, and teeth. However since the body cannot produce this vitamin on its own or even store it, you should be consistently getting enough vitamin C in your diet.
As for calcium, your mother probably already told you growing up that you need a healthy dose of calcium for your bones and teeth as a child. However, if you are a female, it is important to consume enough calcium to help prevent osteoporosis and keep your bones strong. There have also been studies showing that calcium may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular failure.

Iron helps our muscles store and use oxygen, and helps carry oxygen from our lungs to other parts of our bodies as part of hemoglobin. If you’ve ever heard the term “anemia”, this can be caused by iron deficiency. Women and children in particular need a healthy dose of iron consistently, and these leaves help provide that nutrient naturally. According to science research here are top 10 unbelievable health benefits of consuming Pumpkin leaves.

1. Prevention of convulsion: The young leaves sliced and mixed with coconut water and salt are stored in a bottle and used for the treatment of convulsion in ethno medicine. 2 Lowers cholesterol: leaves has hypolipdemic effect and may be a useful therapy in hypercholestolemia.
3 Boost fertility : A particular study showed that pumpkin has the potential to regenerate testicular damage and also increase spermatogenesis. 4. It has a liver protecting effects. 5. It has antibacterial effects 6 .The leaves are rich in iron and play a key role in the cure of anaemia, (my mother used to mix the leaf extract with milk) 7. They are also noted for lactating properties and are in high demand for nursing mothers. 8.It has an hypoglycaemic (sugar reducing) effect. It is good for diabetics 9. Increases Blood Volume and Boost Immune System 10. The high protein content in leaves of plants such as pumpkin could have supplementary effect for the daily protein requirement of the body. 11. Poor sex performance, watery sperm, low sperm count and weak erection, Waist pain and lower back problems: Insufficient Calcium is the main reason alot of men cannot satisfactorily perform or out perform with their partner or spouse in bed for hours and its the reason alot of men can't go 3 to 5 hours. Just 2 min of Sex in bed and a man will tell you that's all he has to offer. At most some will go 20min to 30min under the influence of alcohol and some will even experiment with all sort of steroids and Viagra causing their health more harm. This is as a result of excess fat or unsaturated fat, accumulation of cells damaging chemicals in the body, alcohol in the body and a sure sign of diabetes on the rise and rampage. Pumpkin leave vegetable combined with legumes, beans, soya milk, poultry eggs, cashew nuts, groundnuts, Bambara nuts (Okpa in Igbo), avocado, melon seed (Egusi) and sesame seeds are enough to handle or remedy all this. It also works for women who are having infertility problems as this I have listed are called hormone regulators or hormone stabilizers and are all rich in Calcium, potassium, Vitamin B complex, phosphorus and Iron. The phosphorus and B complex vitamins in this mention food items is what gives your skin that polished skin look.
Among all of these trace elements, Calcium is one of the most essential as its bridges the body cells, and bone cells mechanism together for perfect metabolism that's why you are often given calcium to accompany almost any drugs you are given in the hospitals for quick recovery.
The main reason for waist pain or lower back problem is often as a result of Calcium deficiency or disc rupture or slip disc in the central nervous system: For back pain, waist pain or slip disc problems and nervous systems and cells rejuvenation, the use of pumpkin leave is never a pushed aside as it worked for me within one (1) week of waist and lower back pain that I have carried for many years experimenting with all kinds of drugs. Consistent eating of vegetables especially pumpkin leave will serve this purpose. Or better still, soak or wash a clutch of pumpkin leave in salt water to sterilize it from bacteria for 5 min, then rinse out the salt properly after soaking for 5 min, put in blender and grind it to get a fine vegetable shake, pour in cup and drink, do this for 2 weeks and after that all your problems on waist pain, back pain would be solved. If it doesn't, call me up or buzz me on watsapp and call me a liar. My watsapp number: 09099176956.
Economic Importance: We have all sorts of joints and hang out in Nigeria selling all sorts of chemicals in the disguise health business as some manages to secure NAFDAC number endorsement seal. We have an endless list of all this health damaging alcoholic and high spirits drinks which are not good for our health in almost every stalls and wine or herbal shelf in Nigeria today unregulated. What happens to the idea of opening shops with machines to instantly give u ice cream shakes, chocolates, coffee shops, milk and egg shakes, freshly juiced orange, freshly juiced tomatoes, watermelon, vegetables or better still having such in packs to replace our regular alcoholic and highly spirited bitter drinks as most of them causes more harm than good to our health. We can cultivate an industrial sense to have them better packaged to extend or preserve their shelf life as these industrial machines are readily available and quite affordable but its just that we lack that industrial sense and the right information. There are 5 to 10 main types of vegetable that you can farm consistently all year round and you can start with as little as 20k on 2½ Acres or 1 Hectares of land to make 120k in 2 to 3 months of harvest; that means more input, more out put as 60k invested on 7 to 10 Acres will fetch you 250 to 300k on harvest at the end of 2 to 3 months. The crops and vegetables that can be planted are and harvested in 2 to 3 months are as follows:
1. Fluted Pumpkin leave (Ugwu)
2. Tete
3. Ewedu
4. Shoko
5. Okro
6. Maize
7. Cucumber
8. Tomatoes
9. Egusi, (Melon Seed)
10. Red & Green Pepper
Cost of tractor rent to plough and Harrow per Acre is between 3k to 5k (that is between #3,000 to #5,000) per acre and cost of land rent per Acre per annum is as low as between #1,500 naira to #5,000 naira per Acre depending on your farming location and availability of lands.
to buy an Acre of land in an agriculture enabling state is as low as between #100,000 to #150,000 naira while in some places it is up to #400,000 or #700,000 or more. that is why renting of land is encouraged.
Once you have planted you have to set aside money to fumigate with antinematodal or insecticides and pest that hampers productivity and high yield and fumigation must be done every 2 weeks to avoid loss.
On harvest you sell more in dry season than in rainy season cos a vegetable of #50 from the farm is sold #150 in dry season due to weather and irrigation challenges.
Where ever you have market settlements, you will get buyers for your farm produce.
The major problem in farming in Nigeria is preservation, we have affordable drying and processing machines you can buy for that to dry your vegetables and grand it into powder to be packaged and branded and sold as Chlorophyll supplement for human consumption for both local and export market, tomatoes and pepper can be packaged and processed into tin and bottled tomatoes and satchet tomatoes and you can supply eataries and restaurants.
Most of the agrobased products in Nigeria are imported to our tomatoes and fruits from Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Kenya. Alot of natural and herbal based drugs and products are also imported just like dried pumpkin leave sold in Nigeria for as high as #5,000 naira because they are from China, USA, Ghana, South Africa, Germany and Canada and some of us will foolishly and stupidly buy even at #20,000 or #150,000 all because we are sick of fibroid, cancer and also sick in the head to know that with just #50 Naira Ugwu leave and #100 Coconut in your backyard, you can get the same cure and result if you consume over time and in a short while.
It is for these reasons, I believe We can all go enmassed in vegetable farming and make enough money for both the local market and the export market. All the Forever products, Bell products, Baby Okwu, Samsung Gin, Chelsea gin, Ashetu, Allomo, Swedish bitter most of this things that are not Nigerian brand are leakages and drains on the part of our National economy and health. I believe we can all do better. Those who eat well, will think well and do well. Not just eating junks like alot of us can shove down a bottle of Coke or beer without giving thought to analysing the contents of what we eat. We leave everything to government and NAFDAC believing that when you die, NAFDAC and the government will bury you and give you a befitting funeral with tax payers money. Youth should USE their heads, their is no charity government anywhere in this world. Not in Europe, Asia, Australia, USA or Canada. Stop leaving in your lofty dreams that you have a Bsc or MSC does not mean u must work in the office with knotted tie around your neck. with your PhD, you may do well to teach in the Nursery or Primary school. Anything Extra is a privilege.
Most of us have the poor mentality that Agriculture is for the retirees, Super rich or the extremely poor at a subsistence level, that's why the Country economy is upside down and yet we hang the blame on President Buharri just as we all used to blame Former President Jonathan, If we all don't standard up to do something tangible and reasonable, believe me, the worst economic hit is yet to come that even someone making as much as #250,000 as profit or income per month will not be able to cope financially.

Think Smart! Think diversify economy! For Consultation and better lecture, Watsapp me on +2349099176956. Or visit www.greenharrisburg..co.ke

This is great nuggets, I always know Anambra state government is on the right track, the have the foresight into the future...




This is worthy of the homepage, Lalasticlala, please do justice to this thread even though it isn't a snake one some Nigerians ridiculing a state government for treading this path need to be convinced to venture into this life saving vegetable.