The Plant, The Planet And A Plan

Nicola Kavhu is serving up a new menu of realities and possibilities in the 21st century African diet, promoting healthy eating while respecting and protecting the creatures that share our planet.

- ALASTAIR HAGGER

AFRICANS LOVE THEIR MEAT. AT LEAST that’s the reductive, persistent narrative, even when the data tells a more complicated story: according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), average meat consumption in African countries per capita is around 20kg annually, compared to approximately 70kg in South America, Europe and the United States, and a staggering 100kg or more in Australia.

On a planet where the mass of animals raised for slaughter outweighs wildlife by a factor of 15 to 1, associated FAO data also reminds us of the environmental impact of these industries and the related threat to the ecosystems of developing countries: meat and dairy production now accounts for 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

One young African chef is serving up an appetizing alternative: a new menu of realities and possibilities in the 21st-century African diet, a way of promoting healthy eating while respecting and protecting the creatures that share our world.

Nicola Kavhu, aka Chef Cola, is the creator and owner of African Vegan on a Budget, a brand based in Zimbabwe and South Africa that “focuses on spreading the word on veganism through entrepreneurial projects, collaborations and content creation”.