Title
Orange-fleshed sweetpotatoes for food, health and wealth in Uganda
Date Issued
23 February 2011
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Ssemakula G.
Organización Nacional de Investigación AgrÃcola
Abstract
Uganda is the world's second largest producer of sweetpotato after China. About 43 million children in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are at risk of vitamin A deficiency (VAD); in Uganda 20 per cent of children and 19 per cent of women are vitamin A deficient. VAD can be addressed using orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) varieties with high b-carotene content. The Uganda National Sweetpotato Program (UNSP) and its partners developed and released two OFSP landrace varieties in 2004. Another two improved OFSP varieties with desirable traits and resistance to the devastating diseases Alternaria bataticola blight and sweetpotato virus disease were released in 2007. The four released OFSP varieties have been deployed in Uganda and several other countries to alleviate VAD. The lessons drawn from the UNSP receiving steady support clearly show that it takes a long time to develop technologies, and to disseminate and commercialize them. It requires commitment by the partners for effective commercialization of the developed technologies. The programme used a partnership approach to engage different stakeholders in the value chain to speed up dissemination and commercialization of OFSP varieties and other technologies. Compelling evidence exists of the potential contribution of OFSP to improved nutrition in Uganda and SSA. © 2011 Earthscan.
Start page
42
End page
49
Volume
9
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Ciencias agrÃcolas
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-79951736731
Source
International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability
ISSN of the container
14735903
Source funding
McKnight Foundation
Sponsor(s)
We thank the McKnight Foundation (MF), Harvest-Plus and NARS in the collaborating countries for the different roles they have played in supporting the research, and the UK government’s Foresight Food and Farming Futures Project for suggestions on highlighting the success of the sweetpotato project funded by MF in Uganda.
1. ‘Promotion of OFSP varieties through schools in urban and peri-urban communities of Kampala, Uganda’ was supported by Farm Africa/Maende-leo Agricultural Technology Fund, 2004–2006 and involved 10 schools and 500 communities (7000 farmers and 3000 pupils). The project was coordinated by Makerere University Department
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción CientÃfica
Scopus