In many rural communities in East Africa (and tropical Asia), the Mexican Sunflower has proved to be a very cost effective and efficient fertilizer in areas where years of slash and burn agriculture have robbed the soil of its fertility. Very high in phosphorus and nitrogen, the sunflower decomposes very rapidly making these crucial nutrients readily available to such A very prolific and aggressive plant, this wild sunflower species (Tithonia diversifolia) is native to Central America and Mexico. During the 20th century it was introduced to tropical Asia and Africa, and has spread to South America. Wherever this plant goes, it has been a very successful colonizer, establishing itself in a variety of ecological zones including the mountains and grasslands of the tropics and subtropics, and is very common in wastelands, along the roadsides and in urban areas. In some circles and communities, this plant with the gold yellow daisy-like flower is considered to be an undesirable as it prospers at the expense of the native plants and vegetation. Let’s face it, the Mexican sunflower is an invasive weed!

However, this wild sunflower (also known as tree marigold) has been discovered to have many positive and beneficial attributes and has been embraced with reverence by many rural communities around the world. In Northern Thailand, where the plant was introduced shortly after World War 2, this wild sunflower , renamed in Thailand as the Bua Tong Sunflower, was allowed to propagate freely on the barren hillsides of several relatively isolated areas in the mountains of Mae Hong Son Province. The beauty of the gold covered hillsides during the short blossoming period of November and December led to the creation of the Bua Tong Sunflower Festival, a popular tourist attraction and event especially among Thai people. As a result of this popular festival, several sunflower fields in this rural province have been granted protected status and the Bua Tong is allowed to grow without interference. After the blossom is over, the local people collect the seeds of the Bua Tong Sunflower to make a very effective and natural insecticide.

In many rural communities in East Africa (and tropical Asia), the Mexican Sunflower has proved to be a very cost effective and efficient fertilizer in areas where years of slash and burn agriculture have robbed the soil of its fertility. Very high in phosphorus and nitrogen, the sunflower decomposes very rapidly making these crucial nutrients readily available to such agricultural crops as corn. According to some recent scientific research, the Mexican Sunflower was discovered to contain 80 percent more phosphorus than legumes and it contains enough nitrogen and potassium to promote crop growth. Using this weed as ‘green manure” is a viable and healthy alternative to toxin laden chemical fertilizers. In these communities, this ‘cheerful weed” is viewed as playing a very important role in their well-being. Prior to it’s use as a fertilizer, some rural communities in Kenya used the sunflower plant as a remedy for stomach ailments and as a painkiller. This sunflower species is also used a source for animal feed. The plant is nutrient dense and contains a high percentage of fiber.

In many tropical gardens, many people have braced “this cheerful weed” as an ornamental shrub. Last but not least, in parts of East Africa, a leaf extract of the Mexican Sunflower has been used as natural pesticide in protecting cabbage crops against the ravages of the larvae of the Diamondback Moth

No wonder, some people in Asia and Africa
believe this exotic weed is a gift from the Gods.

Sources
http://www.avrdc.org/pdf/04neem.pdf.
http://www.farmradio.org/english/radio-scripts/71-5script_en.asp
http://www.ciat.cgiar.org/newsroom/annual_rep3.htm

This entry was posted on Friday, August 4th, 2006 at 4:14 am and is filed under Thailand, nature, travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.