As I drove across Kansas twice in the past week, I thought it was only favorite for the Wizard of Oz. A number of billboards played up this Kansas' connection. Also, I begin to notice the publicity about its official state flower, the sunflower. And, I saw strange crops growing in their fields. One, I incorrectly identified as hops. But the other was the familiar sunflower.
I saw a sunflower plant going in village of Bulape, Congo this summer. I thought it was beautiful and provided a unique foreground for a picture of Mama Sylvie, Mama Rose, and Mama Jackie. I never thought about the sunflower as an agricultural crop. BUT now I know better.
I will do some followup work to find out if these Congolese women know about the other attributes of the sunflower and its seeds. The seed oil is healthy. The seeds are a tasty and nutritious snack, too.
Sunflower could can help fight the poverty.
While the vibrant, strong sunflower is a recognized worldwide for its beauty, it is also an important source of food. Sunflower oil is a valued and healthy vegetable oil and sunflower seeds are enjoyed as a healthy, tasty snack and nutritious ingredient to many foods.
Sunflower is an important agricultural crop choice for US producers in the northern plains of the Dakotas to the panhandle of Texas.
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