**1. Introduction**

Malnutrition is the highest percentage in South Asia (33%) and Sub-Saharan Africa (21%) specifically, which is responsible for 60% of the 10.9 million deaths annually among children under five years [1]. In addition to influencing health and wellbeing, malnutrition causes physical and mental damage, resulting in poor educational outcomes and negatively affecting their adult lives [2], suppressing the body's immune system, risk of non-infectious and transmissible diseases, reduction of productivity, and other negative social and economic consequences for individuals, households, societies, and nations [3]. About 805 million people are estimated to be chronically undernourished in 2012–2014, down more than 100 million over the last decade and 209 million lower than in 1990–1992 [4].

Consuming a diverse range of foods that provide all of the nutrients required to sustain life is essential for a healthy human diet [5]. Vegetables, in particular, could help prevent NCDs [6] and control micronutrient deficiencies in resource-poor communities [7–10]. Since vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and low in calories, they are required for the normal functioning of the human body [11]. Sufficient intake of vegetables has been related epidemiologically to a reduced risk of many non-communicable diseases [12–16].

Micronutrient deficiencies linked with malnutrition are the most common nutritional deficiencies in the world, causing significant developmental difficulties, and they are a key indication of poor nutrition and health [17]. Low birth weight, sex, age, rural residency, infectious illness, malnutrition, poor wealth status, and household food insecurity were all linked to it [18]. Iron, vitamin A, zinc, and iodine are critical micronutrients for children's growth, development, and survival, making them critical in terms of global public health [19]. Both iron deficiency anemia and iodine deficiency diseases have been shown to impair cognitive development in children, resulting in reduced educational attainment and, as a result, a detrimental influence on economic growth [20]. Vitamin A deficiency also affects immune function and leads to an increased risk of morbidity [21]. Zinc deficiency may lead to growth failure and impaired immune function [22]. Both vitamin A and zinc deficiencies increase the risk of mortality in children. Children under five years of age are particularly vulnerable to micronutrient deficiencies due to the relatively high requirements of micronutrients for rapid growth and development [23]. Micronutrient deficiencies are currently being addressed by strengthening nutrition information systems, monitoring, and evaluating mechanisms [24] that conceptualize optimal nutrient intake using a variety of foods across and within food groups [25]. Lately, the governments of developing countries have sought to promote diversification of production and exports away from traditional commodities in order to accelerate economic growth, expand employment opportunities, and reduce rural poverty. Market-oriented production could allow households to increase their income by producing output with higher returns on land and labor and using the income generated from sales to purchase goods for consumption [26].

NCDs account for the majority of the global disease burden, disproportionately affecting low and lower-middle income countries [27]. According to recent estimates, innovative, cost-effective, and feasible interventions could prevent 82% of NCD-related premature deaths. CVDs, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were the most common NCDs [27]. This rising burden adds to the stress on already overburdened health systems, disproportionately hurting the poorest people and impeding countries' social and economic growth. According to the WHO, Ethiopia's annual mortality rate from NCDs was 34% in 2008 [28]. CVDs accounted for 15% of all deaths, followed by malignancies at 4%, respiratory illness at 4%, diabetes at 2%, injuries at 9%, and other NCDs at 9%, according to the research. Misganaw et al. [29] conducted a study in Addis Abeba that looked at the cause of mortality (51%) due to NCDs. Another study found that among NCDs, cardiovascular disease (CVD) was the leading cause of death (24%), followed by malignant neoplasms (10%), respiratory tract diseases (9%), and diabetes (5%). Furthermore, the study found a substantial increase in mortality from NCDs between the ages of 44 and 74 years, with a large increase in death from NCDs between the ages of 44 and 74 years. Another population-based survey in Jimma, Ethiopia found that the total prevalence of NCDs was 8.9%, with 3.1% for diabetes, 9.3% for hypertension, 3.0% for CVDs, 1.5% for asthma, and 2.7% for mental illness [30].

*The Health Benefits of Vegetables; Preventive Implications for Chronic Non-Communicable… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.101303*
