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Review
. 2017 Sep:14:23-30.
doi: 10.1016/j.gfs.2017.01.004.

Tackling vitamin A deficiency with biofortified sweetpotato in sub-Saharan Africa

Jan W Low  1 , Robert O M Mwanga  2 , Maria Andrade  3 , Edward Carey  4 , Anna-Marie Ball  5
Affiliations
Review

Tackling vitamin A deficiency with biofortified sweetpotato in sub-Saharan Africa

Jan W Low et al. Glob Food Sec. 2017 Sep.

Abstract

Orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) is a rich plant-based source of beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A. In sub-Saharan Africa, sweetpotato is known as a food security crop but most varieties grown are high dry matter white-fleshed types, lacking beta-carotene. In 1995, researchers recognized the potential of OFSP varieties to address widespread vitamin A deficiency in SSA using an integrated agriculture-nutrition approach. With their partners, they confronted conventional wisdom concerning food-based approaches and institutional barriers, to build the evidence base and breed 42 OFSP varieties adapted to farmer needs and consumer preferences. Subsequently, a multi-partner, multi-donor initiative, launched in 2009, has already reached 2.8 million households. This review summarizes that effort describing how the changing policy environment influenced the process.

Keywords: Biofortification; Integration; Nutrition; Orange-fleshed; Sweetpotato; Vitamin A.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Key phases and events in the development and dissemination of orange-fleshed sweetpotato in sub-Saharan Africa.
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References

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