By SHELLY STRAUTZ-SPRINGBORN
Michigan Correspondent PETERSBURG, Mich. — Spending nearly two weeks traveling through Africa was a “trip of a lifetime” for Mary Lou Smith. But, it wasn’t a sightseeing tour.
Smith, a Michigan soybean leader who farms near Petersburg and serves as a director of the United Soybean Board, was part of a U.S. soybean leader delegation to southern Africa in August that spent its time learning about the culture and cultivating new markets for soybeans.
The trip was through the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) program. WISHH has worked in 23 countries to create sustainable solutions for the protein demands of people in developing countries through the introduction and use of U.S. soy products. The Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee is one of the program’s many supporters.
“The goal of WISHH is to find new opportunities for U.S. soy in programs that help feed the hungry, or by stimulating commercial demand for U.S. soy,” Smith said.
During the trip, Smith said the group participated in conferences, visits to processors, orphanages, schools and medical centers and met with African leaders. They saw firsthand the need for alternative protein sources in the African diet, and also saw how women can play a major role in achieving business growth as well as improved diets in Africa.
Africa’s 900 million consumers represent an important long-term marketplace for many products, including Michigan soy. “Going there has given me a new perspective on the possibilities and the need for protein in African diets,” Smith said.
“We attended the Soy South Africa Conference. At this conference there were a number of people from different groups that are interested in promoting soy for health purposes.”
She said with the high concentration of HIV/AIDS in Africa, soy products are a healthy alternative for much-needed protein in the people’s diets.
“It is known that those who are HIV-positive will live a healthier life if they have protein in their diet. They eat a lot of chicken and fish, but they do not eat a lot of red meat. Soy is a high-level substitute for red meat,” Smith said. “Women there could play a big role in offering the proper nutrition to correct their protein deficiency.”
The soybean leaders met with entrepreneurs, such as a flour miller who is introducing high-protein soy foods to bakers, and participated in a soyfoods seminar that attracted many food industry representatives. The group also visited an orphanage where children are taught how to prevent the spread of AIDS.
“We walked about half a mile down the road from there and went to an HIV/AIDS center,” Smith said.
At the center, the group met with a southern African soyfoods processor who is an example of an entrepreneur who is tapping into consumer demand for more protein as well as strengthening his own workforce. This businessman provides soyfoods to employees with HIV/AIDS, who may need up to 50 percent more
protein.
Better diets with increased protein can help people living with HIV/AIDS have the strength to stay on the job and continue to care for their families.
“There, 35 women and four men worked in gardens where they grow food. They also get a bag of textured soy protein every week. They take that home and add it to their regular diet so they get the protein they need,” she said.
Through her experiences, Smith sees that education about soy protein and its benefits is an important step in working in Africa. She also hopes the group will be able to expand its efforts to other countries in need.
“The Women in Soy Project is a fledgling group,” she said. “We are just beginning to get some direction, but we are looking to expand our travel to other places in the world where there is need. What we have seen and what we have done is very worthwhile. If the use of soy in building their diets becomes widespread enough in these Third World countries, it definitely could create new markets. I think it could be a good way to increase soybean exports.”
The U.S. Soy Export Council supported the delegation’s trip with checkoff funds. |
