SWEET POTATO

ABOUT SWEET POTATO

Title: Improved Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato value chains for food and Nutrition security in Benin, Niger and Nigeria.

Project description: Identification and promotion in each agro-ecological zone of adapted high-yielding sweet potato cultivars rich in Beta-carotene through participatory technology development to enable people’s access to high quality food while reducing the impact of agriculture on the environment.

Target groups: Farmers (Indigenous peoples), Processors (Women organizations), consumers

Final beneficiaries: Children (under 5 age) and pregnant and breast-feeding women suffering from vitamin A deficiency

Objectives

The general objective of the Sweet Potato Project is to enhance biofortified sweet potatoes value chains for improved nutrition in women and children in Benin, Niger and Nigeria.

Specific objectives include to:

adapt high yielding and quality OFSP planting material to vines producers for commercial propagation and dissemination for farmers in Benin, Niger and Nigeria;
develop OFSP innovative processing technologies adapted for high retention and bioavailability of carotenoids for women and children nutrition;
develop sensitive nutrition market for OFSP vines and OFSP-based processed products.

ACTIVITIES

Collection of OFSP germplasm

Participative selection in multi environment trials

Farmers training on vines production;

Development of innovative processing technologies

Determination of the nutritional value of the OFSP based product

Processors training, nutritional efficacity of the OFSP to alleviate VAD

Increase knowledge on the impact of consuming OFSP on the women and children

EXPECTED RESULTS

The estimated results include:

quality vines of high yielding performance OFSP cultivars adapted to each target country are selected and multiplied for commercialization;
innovative processing technologies and OFSP-based processed products are developed for local women cooperatives;
OFSP vines and nutritious OFSP-based product(s) markets are created to facilitate access to nutritionally rich foods for consumers.