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Although Moringa is an important vegetable crop elsewhere, its nutritional and non-food uses are not widely known in Botswana community. This study was conducted to determine the chemical composition and mineral contents of leaves of Moringa oleifera trees grown in Gaborone, Botswana. The leaf samples were collected from Moringa trees grown in the backyards of six different households in Gaborone city. They were dried separately at 55 ºC for 24 h and then ground to obtain a powder for analysis. The data on the proximate composition of the Moringa samples were subjected to Analysis of Variance to determine statistical differences among the mean values. The overall mean values of moisture, fat, protein, ash, fiber and total available carbohydrates of the leaves were 6.93 ± 0.16, 7.78 ± 0.13, 27.1 ± 0.43, 7.34 ± 0.31, 9.1 ± 1 and 46.5 ± 3%, respectively. The Moringa leaves contained average values of 520 ± 96.0, 7.7 ± 1.3, 30.1 ± 15.5, 0.8 ± 0.1, 82.6 ± 6.4, 1.7 ± 0.2, 1.6 ± 0.2 and 0.02 ± 0.00 mg/100g of Calcium, Iron, Sodium, Zinc, Magnesium, Aluminum, Manganese and Chromium, respectively. Significant differences were observed for moisture, fat, protein and ash contents among the six Moringa samples. The results showed that the leaves are rich in nutrients, particularly with high amounts of protein and ash. This suggests that Moringa leaf could serve as an important protein and mineral supplement in the diet and can be consumed as a vegetable in Botswana. The difference in composition observed between the Moringa leaf samples suggests a possible genotypic difference between the Moringa trees used in this experiment. Thus, there is a need for further study to verify this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The majority of respondents know about the medicinal value of Moringa oleifera. • Different parts of the plant are used to treat, mainly, diabetes, high blood pressure and rheumatism. • The trees do not need intensive management, establish easily, adapt to the arid climate of Botswana and grow with minimal care. • There is a big potential to expand and commercialize Moringa in Botswana if people are made aware of its benefits. • Given the potential food and non-food applications of Moringa, there is an urgent need to promote its cultivation and utilization so that it can contribute its share in Government efforts to ensure food security in Botswana. A survey was conducted to document the history of introduction of Moringa oleifera, its current uses as well as potential for expansion and commercialization in Botswana. The study was conducted between February and December 2018 in Gaborone by interviewing a total of 20 households who have planted trees of Moringa in their backyards. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed, field tested, revised based on the feedback from the field test, and used for the interview. The results showed that the species was introduced to Botswana relatively recently, and most of the respondents started growing the trees in the last five years. The majority of the respondents (80%) are familiar with the Moringa plant, and 90% of them know about its medicinal values for which they planted the trees. However, there seems to be limited knowledge about the nutritional value of the species among the respondents. Different parts of the tree are used to treat, mainly, diabetes, high blood pressure and rheumatism. The leaves are used to treat most of these ailments although the seeds, stems, bark, roots and fruits have also been reported to have medicinal values. Some of the respondents indicated that they use the raw or boiled leaves as vegetable, and prepare soup and stew from the young green fruits and use them as salad. The most common mode of utilization is using the leaf for preparation of Moringa tea. The Moringa tree does not need intensive management, establish easily, adapt well to the arid climate of Botswana and grow with minimal care. Most of the interviewed households indicated that there is no challenge associated with growing the trees. Despite the general difficulty of cultivating crops in the country due to the harsh hot climate and shortage of water, the species needs little attention to grow, and there is no particular problem associated with production of the trees. Majority of the respondents indicated that there is a big potential to expand and commercialize Moringa in Botswana if people are made aware of its benefits. The study revealed that M. oleifera is grown in Gaborone though it is generally underutilized despite its huge potential. There is a huge knowledge gap about the nutritional uses of Moringa. Given the potential food and non-food applications of Moringa, there is an urgent need to promote its cultivation and utilization so that it can contribute its share in Government efforts to ensure food security in Botswana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]