Development and delivery of biofortified crops at scale
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Item Adoption of Orange-Fleshed Sweetpotato (OFSP) technologies in Southern Ethiopia(Journal Article, 2025-01-16) Tenaye, A.; Gebeyehu, S.; Cherinet, M.Addressing malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency in Ethiopia necessitates innovative, food-based solutions such as biofortified crops. This study assesses the adoption rates of Orange-Fleshed Sweetpotato (OFSP) and examines the factors influencing adoption among project participants, non-participants, and counterfactual households in the former Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ (SNNPs) region. Primary data were collected in 2023 through a survey of 990 households across six districts, and logistic regression was employed to identify key determinants of adoption. The findings reveal OFSP adoption rates of 53% among participants, 56% among non-participants, and 42% among counterfactual households, with significant variation across regions. Factors positively influencing adoption include household education, proximity to health centers and OFSP multiplication sites, frequent extension contact, and access to agricultural services. This study underscores the potential of newly released OFSP varieties to enhance food security and resilience in malnutrition-prone areas. The comparable adoption rates between participants and non-participants highlight significant spillover effects from long-term interventions, suggesting widespread community benefits. However, the limited adoption of complementary OFSP package components points to the need for enhanced training programs and streamlined technology dissemination strategies. These findings contribute to understanding how biofortified crops can be scaled effectively to improve food security and nutrition, offering valuable insights for policy and program design.Item Scaling Up Orange-fleshed Sweetpotato through Agriculture and Nutrition (SUSTAIN)(Brief, 2018-08) Heck, S.Item OFSP market penetration in Maputo City, Mozambique: Eating OFSP by Choice not by Chance(Brief, 2018-08) Brouwer, R.Item Gender-differentiated preference for sweetpotato traits and their drivers among smallholder farmers: Implications for breeding(Journal Article, 2024-02) Namirimu, J.; Okello, J.J.; Kizito, A.M.; Ssekiboobo, A.To improve sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) productivity, several improved high-yielding varieties have been developed by breeders. However, many farmers still grow low-yielding landraces. Farmers choose varieties to grow based on their preference for the attributes of those varieties. Varietal preferences have been shown to differ between males and females. This study assessed farmer preferences for sweetpotato traits and the factors that drive the choice of most preferred traits. It used a uniquely large data set collected through personal interviews with male and female sweetpotato growers. The study employed multinomial probit regression to examine the drivers of trait preference. It finds a higher preference for production-oriented traits among farmers in general and especially older ones. This is, however, lower among more educated farmers who mainly prefer risk-averting traits, and those growing local varieties who mainly prefer quality traits. Hence, alongside production-oriented traits, other traits critical for the acceptance of new varieties by farmers in their respective contexts should not be ignored.Item Gender Mainstreaming in Sweetpotato Breeding in Uganda: A Case Study(Journal Article, 2023-12-15) Ssali, R.T.; Mayanja, S.; Nakitto, M.; Mutiso, J.; Tinyiro, S.E.; Bayiyana, I.; Okello, J.J.; Forsythe, L.; Magala, D.; Yada, B.; Mwanga, Robert O.M.; Polar, VivianPurpose: In Uganda, sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) is typically a "woman's crop", grown, processed, stored and also mainly consumed by smallholder farmers for food and income. Farmers value sweetpotato for its early maturity, resilience to stresses, and minimal input requirements. However, productivity remains low despite the effort of breeding programs to introduce new varieties. Low uptake of new varieties is partly attributed to previous focus by breeders on agronomic traits and much less on quality traits and the diverse preferences of men and women in sweetpotato value chains.To address this gap, breeders, food scientists, and social scientists (including gender specialists) systematically mainstreamed gender into the breeding program. This multidisciplinary approach, grounded in examining gender roles and their relationship with varietal and trait preferences, integrated important traits into product profiles.Results: Building on earlier efforts of participatory plant breeding and participatory varietal selection, new interventions showed subtle but important gender differences in preferences. For instance, in a study for the RTBFoods project, women prioritized mealiness, sweetness, firmness and non-fibrous boiled roots. These were further subjected to a rigorous gender analysis using the G+ product profile query tool. The breeding pipelines then incorporated these gender-responsive priority quality traits, prompting the development of standard operating procedures to phenotype these traits. This is a provisional file, not the final typeset article Conclusion: Following an all-inclusive approach coupled with traininig of multidisciplinary teams involving food scientists, breeders, biochemists, gender specialists and social scientists, integration into participatory variety selection in Uganda enabled accentuation of women and men's trait preferences, contributing to clearer breeding targets. The research has positioned sweetpotato breeding to better respond to the varying needs and preferences of the users.Item Direct and spillover effects of biofortified sweetpotato interventions on sustained adoption in Malawi(Journal Article, 2023-11-09) Gatto, M.; Mgomezulu, W.R.; Okello, J.J.; Pradel, W.; Kwikiriza, N.; Hareau, G.Agriculture-nutrition interventions (ANI) have recently received attention as a promising delivery mechanism for achieving desirable nutritional outcomes. However, more evidence is needed on the effectiveness of such interventions. In this study, we analyze direct and spillover effects of ANIs for biofortified orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) in Malawi on sustained household outcomes: OFSP adoption, area planted, harvest, and sales. In Malawi, we selected three large-scale OFSP interventions and use a rich dataset of 2,492 smallholder farmers selected from every district of Malawi. Methodologically, we employ bivariate probit, instrumental variables, and propensity score matching techniques. We find positive and sustained participation effects for all outcomes. Second, we find that OFSP interventions spilled over and benefited non-participants who lived in treatment villages. Vine multipliers and vine conservation techniques were key diffusion mechanisms for initial and sustained adoption of OFSP varieties. Interventions promoted higher OFSP root sales which suggests that generating income is an important motivator of adoption, in addition to own-consumption. Also, root sales is an often overlooked diffusion mechanism to reach additional farmers beyond the direct participants. Relevant for policy-makers is that OFSP interventions have sustained positive adoption and diffusion effects, and thus feature well as a relatively cost-effective food-based approach among other strategies to eradicate hidden hunger. Designing ANIs with strong supply-push (e.g., (de)centralized vine multipliers, vine conservation techniques) and demand-pull components (e.g., participatory varietal selection and agronomic training) are key and will need to be accompanied by strategies that create a stronger economic case for OFSP, for instance, by investments to strengthen a processing industry for OFSP roots.Item Market Intelligence and Incentive-Based Trait Ranking for Plant Breeding: A Sweetpotato Pilot in Uganda(Journal Article, 2022-03-04) Okello, J.J.; Swanckaert, J.; Martin Collado, Daniel; Santos, B.; Yada, B.; Mwanga, Robert O.M.; Schurink, A.; Quinn, Michael; Thiele, Graham; Heck, S.; Byrne, T.J.; Hareau, G.; Campos, HugoCrop breeding programs must accelerate crop improvement, spur widespread adoption of new varieties and increase variety turnover they are to meet the diverse needs of their clients. More comprehensive quantitative approaches are needed to better inform breeding programs about the preferred traits among farmers and other actors. However, the ability of current breeding programs to meet the demands of their clients is limited by the lack of insights about value chain actor preference for individual or packages of traits. Ranking traits based on monetary incentives, rather than subjective values, represents a more comprehensive, consistent, and quantitative approach to inform breeding programs. We conducted a large pilot in Uganda to assess the implementation of a novel approach to trait ranking, using a uniquely large sample of diverse sweetpotato value chain actors. We found meaningful differences in trait ranking and heterogeneity among different actors using this approach. We also show our approach’s effectiveness at uncovering unmet demand for root quality traits and at characterizing the substantial trait demand heterogeneity among value chain players. Implementing this approach more broadly for sweetpotato and other crops would increase the effectiveness of breeding programs to improve food security in developing countries.Item Estimation of nutritional postharvest losses along food value chains: A case study of three key food security commodities in sub-Saharan Africa(Journal Article, 2022-06) Bechoff, A.; Shee, A.; Mvumi, B.M.; Ngwenyama, P.; Debelo, H.; Ferruzzi, M.G.; Nyanga, L.K.; Mayanja, S.; Tomlins, Keith I.Postharvest losses (PHLs) amplify food insecurity and reduce the amount of nutrients available to vulnerable populations, especially in the world's Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). However, little is known about nutrient loss at the various postharvest stages. The objective of our study was to develop a methodology and a tool to estimate nutritional postharvest losses (NPHLs) along food value chains for three distinct food commodities in sub-Saharan Africa. The study used a combination of literature, laboratory and field data to investigate NPHLs caused by both changes in quantity and quality of food material (quantitative and qualitative NPHLs, respectively). The method can be expanded to various other food value chains. A user-friendly predictive tool was developed for case studies involving maize and cowpea in Zimbabwe, and for sweet potato in Uganda. Quantitative and qualitative NPHLs were combined and converted into predicted nutrient loss and nutritional requirement lost due to postharvest losses. The number of people who may not meet their daily nutritional needs, as a result of the food and nutrient losses at country level, was estimated. The estimates consider nutritionally vulnerable groups such as children under five years and pregnant women. The nutrient density of the harvested food material, the level of food production, the postharvest stages along the food value chain, the levels of pest damage along the value chain, and the susceptibility of the nutrients to degradation e.g. during storage, are all important factors that affect NPHLs. Our modelling work suggests that reducing PHLs along food value chains could significantly improve access to nutritious food for populations in LMICs.Item Innovations to boost production of safe and nutritious sweetpotato products in Kenya(Brochure, 2021-10) International Potato CenterItem Phenotyping of productivity and resilience in sweetpotato under water stress through UAV-based multispectral and thermal imagery in Mozambique(Journal Article, 2023-02) Ramírez, D.; Grüneberg, W.J.; Andrade, M.I.; Boeck, B. de; Loayza, H.; Makunde, G.S.; Ninanya, J.; Rinza, J.; Heck, S.; Campos, HugoSweetpotato is a crucial crop to guarantee food security in sub-Saharan Africa, and drought events are considered one of the most critical factors affecting sweetpotato productivity in this region. In this study, airborne imagery based on reflectance (NDVI, CIred-edge) and canopy temperature minus air temperature (dT) indices was used to characterize sweetpotato genotypes under drought treatments in Mozambique. Two field experiments established in rainy/hot (Trial A) and dry/cool (Trial B) seasons were assessed. In Trial A, 24 genotypes were subjected to early- (ESD), mid- (MSD) and late-season (LSD) drought stress treatments and compared against a control. In Trial B, 120 genotypes were subjected to LSD only. The percentage of reduction in vine weight (PRVW) under drought was related primarily to temporal variation of NDVI and CI, regardless of drought treatment and seasons. dT in relation to control (dTAmp) was associated with PRVW in ESD-Trial A and LSD-Trial B, whereas under LSD-Trial A, dTAmp was related to total fresh storage root weight (TRW). During the rainy/hot season, higher TRW reduction was promoted under ESD; however, under LSD, it was possible to identify productive genotypes able to withstand drought stress, highlighting their relevance for drought-tolerance selection purposes.Item Factors influencing farmers' dis-adoption and retention decisions for biofortified crops: the case of orange-fleshed sweetpotato in Mozambique(Journal Article, 2021-08-02) Jogo, W.; Bocher, T.; Grant, F.Despite their proven effectiveness in addressing micronutrient deficiencies, adoption of biofortified crops among smallholder farmers remains low. Using a cross-sectional survey dataset of 1538 households randomly selected from 15 districts in Nampula and Zambezia provinces of Mozambique, this study examined the factors influencing farmers' dis-adoption and retention decisions for biofortified OFSP varieties. Data on household socio-demographic characteristics; knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practices on OFSP production and nutrition were fitted to a Heckman bivariate probit model with sample selection to empirically assess the determinants of sequential adoption and dis-adoption decisions. The results showed that adoption and dis-adoption of OFSP is significantly influenced by a combination of farmers' socio-economic characteristics (age, gender, nutrition knowledge, education, access to planting material), consumption (taste, dry matter content) and agronomic (yield, early maturity, drought tolerance) traits. However, the agronomic traits and access to planting material are particularly key for the retention of OFSP varieties. These results suggest the need for breeding efforts to improve the agronomic traits of biofortified OFSP to match or better local non-biofortified varieties and establish seed delivery systems for sustainable adoption of biofortified OFSP.Item Bacterial wilt. What every potato farmer needs to know about this destructive disease(Brochure, 2021-03) Parker, M.; Borus, D.Item Adoption and Effects of Orange-fleshed Sweetpotato Varieties in Malawi(Working Paper, 2021) Gatto, M.; Okello, J.J.; Pradel, W.; Kwikiriza, N.; Mgomezulu, W.; Nyirenda, Z.; Okuku, H.; Suarez, V.; Vugt, D. van; Chipungu, Felistus P.; Kapalasa, E.; Kumwenda, W.; Hareau, Guy; Heck, S.Item Potato seed system intervention workshop report(Report, 2020-12) Borus, D.; Parker, M.Potato is among the four crops in Kenya’s Big Four Agenda. It is grown at altitudes of 1,500 to 3,000 metres above sea level (m.a.s.l.) by an estimated 800,000 farmers on approx. 161,000 hectares. Annual production stands at approximately three million tonnes over two growing seasons, with an annual value of KES 50 billion (500 million USD). Beyond the farm, the industry employs about 3.3 million people as market agents, transporters, processors, vendors and exporters. Potato is basically a cash crop for smallholders and the second most important food crop playing a critical role in national food and nutrition security with a value of about KES of 50 billion KES (500 million USD) annually. National yields average is 8-12 t/ha, at least half the potential mainly as a consequence of limited access to quality seed coupled with other constraints. Kenya has the best-developed seed system in sub-Saharan Africa (aside from South Africa), yet the seed sector still struggles to meet the growing demand for seed. If Kenya has to increase potato productivity, then enhanced seed production and access is critical. Several programs and donors support seed system development at various levels, including the Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP), the National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Project (NARIGP), International Potato Center (CIP), Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA). Alignment and consistency in approaches among the several interventions supporting potato seed system development are critical to increasing use of improved seed and consequently increasing potato productivity. Seed system development is not only about quality-assured production, but also planning to ensure production is economically viable, especially in regard to number of multiplications and sufficient land for rotation. Critical to the interventions is to ensure the target user – farmers, particularly smallholder farmers, have reliable and equitable access to seed.Item Agronomic performance and farmer preferences for biofortified orange-fleshed sweetpotato varieties in Zimbabwe(Report, 2021-01) Jogo, W.; Kudita, S.; Munda, E.; Chiduwa, M.; Pinkson, S.; Gwaze, T.This report summarizes the findings of a study carried out to evaluate the agronomic performance and sensory acceptance by small holder farmers of six biofortified orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) varieties that were first introduced from CIP’s sweetpotato breeding hub for Southern Africa in Mozambique. The study was participatory and carried out under different agroecological environments in Zimbabwe. The six OFSP varieties, namely Alisha, Victoria, Delvia, Sumaia, Namanga and Irene were planted in the 2019/20 agricultural season along with two non-biofortified white-fleshed local varieties, namely Chingova and German II, at seven DR&SS research stations (Kadoma, Marondera, Harare, Henderson, Gwebi, Makoholi and Panmure) and 120 farmer managed on-farm trial sites in 12 LFSP districts of Bindura, Gokwe North, Gokwe South, Guruve, Kwekwe, Makoni, Mazowe, Mount Darwin, Mutasa, Mutare, Shurugwi and Zvimba. At all but one of the research stations, two trials were set up, one under irrigation and the other under rain-fed conditions. On-farm trials were established following the Mother-Baby Trial approach with 2 mother trials and 8 baby trials per district. In each of the districts, one mother trial was planted under irrigation while the other was rain-fed. All the baby trials were rain-fed.Item Quality and psychosocial factors influencing purchase of orange‐fleshed sweet potato bread(Journal Article, 2021-03) Okello, J.J.; Shiundu, F.M.; Mwende, J.; Lagerkvist, Carl Johan; Nyikal, R.A.; Muoki, P.; Mburu, J.; Low, Jan W.; Hareau, Guy; Heck, S.This 2018 study, conducted in six Tusky's supermarkets in Nairobi, Kenya, combined the Just‐About‐Right, Penalty and Mean‐End‐Chain analyses to examine the quality and psychosocial factors influencing the purchase of a novel bread made from orange‐fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), a biofortified crop, focusing on sixty‐one male and eighty female urban OFSP bread buyers recruited at point of purchase. It finds that sensory and psychosocial factors drive purchasing decisions and that some of the bread's sensory characteristics are misaligned with consumers' expectations. It also finds that women and men’s evaluations of the bread's characteristics are different, as are their motivations for purchase. However, good sensory attributes and the knowledge of the bread's nutritional value were key drivers. Some misaligned characteristics reveal levers for the reformulation of the bread and present opportunities for segmenting the market. Several other implications of the findings for policy and future improvement of the bread are discussed.Item Healthy baby toolkit(Brochure, 2020-08) International Potato CenterItem Resilient agri-food systems for nutrition amidst COVID-19: evidence and lessons from food-based approaches to overcome micronutrient deficiency and rebuild livelihoods after crises(Journal Article, 2020-07-25) Heck, S.; Campos, Hugo; Barker, I.; Okello, J.J.; Baral, A.; Boy, E.; Brown, L.COVID-19 has had an instant effect on food systems in developing countries. Restrictions to the movement of people and goods have impaired access to markets, services and food. Unlike other concurrent crises, rather than threatening the material hardware of food systems, COVID-19 has so far affected the ‘software’ of food systems, highlighting again that connectivity is at the heart of these systems. Drops in demand, the loss of markets and employment and growing concerns about international cooperation are indications of possible deeper disruptions to come. Amidst this uncertainty, strategies to safeguard food and nutrition security of the world’s poor need to prioritize diversification of production and markets. Nutritious, biofortified crops such as potato, sweetpotato, but also wheat, maize and beans among others, can play a more significant role to provide key micronutrients (vitamin A, iron, zinc) at large scale. Strong local market chains, robust smallholder production systems and increasing commercial utilization make these crops powerful vehicles for securing nutrition when markets and mobility look uncertain. We posit that the evolving impacts of COVID-19 provide an opportunity to focus agricultural innovations, including the development and delivery of biofortified crops, on new and more specifically defined ‘jobs to be done’ throughout the food system. This will help bridge some of the current disruptions in supply and demand and will help prepare food systems for future crises.Item Consumer knowledge and attitude towards orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) puree bread in Kenya(Journal Article, 2019-11-18) Wanjuu, C.; Bocher, T.; Abong, G.O.; Low, Jan W.; Mbogo, D.; Heck, S.; Muzhingi, T.OFSP is being used as an ingredient of baked products and can be a source of pro-vitamin A. Information about OFSP puree bread consumer profile is limited. The current study investigates the consumer socio-demographics, knowledge, practices and attitude towards OFSP puree bread in Kenya. A total of 1024 consumers were interviewed from Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, Kisumu and Kakamega counties. The OFSP bread is purchased by 60% female respondents above 30 years old, who have a university education (79%), formally employed (93%), therefore, middle to high-income earners. Before consumption, 42% of the consumers stored their bread in the refrigerator while 38% stored in the open, and 20% in cupboards. Consumers agree that the OFSP bread could be a good source of energy, vitamins, especially Vitamin A (94%). The acceptance ratings of OFSP bread ranged from 7.37 to 7.65 on a 9-score hedonic scale, hence “liked moderately.” There was a significant relationship between socio-demographics, knowledge about the root, the bread and the overall acceptance of the OFSP puree bread. Consumers were willing to pay more for the OFSP bread based on potential nutritional benefits. There was a significant relationship between consumer demographics and willingness to pay for OFSP puree bread.Item Nutrition and food security impacts of quality seeds of biofortified orange-fleshed sweetpotato: Quasi-experimental evidence from Tanzania(Journal Article, 2019-12-01) Mashisia, K.; Okello, J.J.; Wambugu, S.; Sindi, K.; Low, Jan W.; McEwan, M.This study examined the nutrition and food security impacts of a project that was designed to improve availability of disease-free planting materials of biofortified orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) in rural Tanzania. Difference-in-difference and matching techniques were employed to estimate causal effects using panel data. Participation in the project increased agronomic and nutritional knowledge of households, raised uptake rate for OFSP varieties, and improved food security status. Effects on nutrition are, however, weak. These results suggest that timely access to quality seeds accompanied by a transfer of skills is important to reduce barriers to adoption of biofortified crops with resulting positive effects on the welfare of rural households. Adequate promotion of both agronomic and nutrition aspects of the technologies may enhance nutrition effects.