Moringa in the first 72 hours and beyond!
Apart from finding survivors in the aftermath of a disaster, life sustaining nutrition and clean water are top of the basic needs of both survivors and aid workers alike.
My idea is to utilize the most nutritious plant known to man for both of these basic needs and so much more.
Indeed, Moringa Oliefera could possibly prevent many of the disasters happening in the first place.
Climate change is credited with many of the Worlds natural disasters. Flooding, soil erosion & landslides are avoidable by-products of the problem.
Reforestation of our planet with something that will not only reduce our carbon footprint but also be so essential in the Worlds battle against malnutrition and provide clean water may well be the answer at our fingertips.
What is Moringa Oleifera?
Moringa is a plant of high medicinal values. Moringa is the botanical name & the commonest species is Moringa Oleifera.
It is a fast growing plant with long and slender branches growing to a height of approximately 10 metres, but it can be pruned to an easier to use height. It has about three hundred colloquial names around the World but I think my favourite is ‘The Miracle Tree’. This reflects the plant's enormous benefits to mankind.
It is a highly nutritious medicinal plant from which the roots, pods, fruits, flowers, leaves, and even to the bark of the tree can be used and is, mainly due to lack of education, underutilised in much of the World.
The leaves of the tree could well see the healing of all nations.
They contain:
• 10 Essential Vitamins
• 11 Essential Minerals
• 9 Essential Immune System Boosting Amino Acids
• 36 Powerful Natural Anti Inflammatory Nutrients
• 46 Powerful Natural Anti-Oxidants
• Both Omega 3 & Omega 6 Fatty Acids
And gram for gram dried Moringa leaf contains these typical values.
• 9 x Protein of Yogurt
• 15 x Potassium of Bananas
• 10 x Vitamin A of Carrots
• 17 x Calcium of Milk
• 25 x Iron of Spinach

Many World changing ideas are so simple and we forget what life was like before.
A simple Moringa biscuit could be one such idea.
In the aftermath of a disaster, easy to distribute highly nutritious foods are a key to the rescue and recovery operation. Imagine a biscuit that is high in protein (Moringa contains 27% protein) and contains all of the aforementioned micronutrients to help fight for life and against infection.
When your lives have been devastated by disaster it is very hard to think straight and life needs to be made as simple as possible.
Moringa biscuits are that simple solution!
Simple to make, simple to package, simple to distribute and simple to eat!
Moringa biscuits, the simple nutrient packed solution!
The biscuit recipes may vary from continent to continent to take into consideration cultural differences but the constant would be the presence of Moringa.
Weather you call them biscuits, soda cakes or cookies, they are a simple source of comfort and now they could provide your entire daily nutrient requirements.
Moringa as a water cleanser.
Moringa is becoming both more widely grown and more widely known. As a result the incredible properties of its seed oil are becoming sort after in the cosmetic world. This is great for the developing world’s economy and a by-product of cold pressing for oil is seed cake. The seed cake remaining after oil extraction may be used as a fertilizer, animal feed, or more importantly in disaster relief as a flocculent to purify water.
Moringa seeds have long been used by traditional communities to purify water. The seeds when crushed are turned into coagulants which, like processes in the west, cause particles to fall to the bottom removing the turpitude. This replaces the more expensive Aluminium Sulphate in local water treatment facilities and removes 99% of the bacteria and without the possibility of Aluminium poisoning.
British soldiers had become aware of these properties while serving in India where Moringa originates from and used crushed seeds in their water bottles when filling up from dubious water sources.
Freeze drying seed cake would give a simple, portable, ready to use product & an almost instruction free solution to make potable water a real possibility in even the worst case post disaster scenarios.
Other important possibilities for Moringa Oleifera.
Moringa is especially promising as a food source in the tropics because the tree is in full leaf at the end of the dry season when other foods are typically scarce. It should be noted that it is particularly tolerant to arid conditions and is a reliable source of protein and nutrients for people in drought affected countries.
Moringa seed oil and green leaf matter also have great potential for use as biofuel.
It could replace many planet destroying alternatives.
Where does Moringa Oleifera grow?
The below table shows exactly where Moringa Oleifera currently grows (it may grow in a few additional countries too). It should be noted that many countries that have suffered in recent disasters have the ability to grow and utilise the many benefits of Moringa.
Africa Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Archipelago, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi,
Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Asia Burma-Myanmar, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Yemen
Latin America/Caribbean Belize, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Dutch Antilles, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Panama Canal, Zone, Puerto Rico, San Salvador, Suriname, Trinidad, Venezuela
Oceana Fiji, Guam, Palau
You don't need any technical knowhow to grow Moringa. You have only to find the seed. It is highly adaptable but prefers a free draining soil and benefits from not having a wide swing of temperature. Researches are being done on how its cultivation value can be enhanced but it definitely benefits from pruning and even when you do prune nothing should go to waste. It can be grown intensively for leaf production, in an orchard style plantation for seed production or just simply in your garden for a daily source of home grown nutrients.
In order to get the message across to people about Moringa and its many benefits three educational story books have been written as part of a complete resource pack for teachers. They cover the discovery of the moringa miracle, the planting of and growing your own, and the wider community uses. They are currently available in English & Spanish but could be translated in to any language. The content could also be performed by drama groups and I am currently working on getting these packs into every junior classroom in Nicaragua. This would be done in collaboration with UNICEF Nicaragua.
Can we dream that malnutrition could be ended?......I believe so!
Whichever way Moringa Oleifera is grown it is the answer to many of the questions our World is throwing up at present.
The solution is simple, the solution is Moringa!
The below link is my introduction to Moringa. Many developments have been made since and I am even more convinced that Moringa could well be the solution to many of the developing world’s daily issues.
http://youtu.be/LE0E9GIS7po