One in five children in Uganda suffers from vitamin A deficiency, which causes night blindness, slow growth and weakens the immune system. The HarvestPlus Programme has used conventional crop breeding techniques to develop orange-fleshed sweet potatoes that have high levels of vitamin A. Regular consumption of the sweet potatoes can give adults and children the required amounts of this essential vitamin.
Learn more about HarvestPlus efforts to spread the crop in an audio interview.
Over in Zambia, HarvestPlus and its partners have developed five new varieties of maize that are also rich in vitamin A. The varieties produce orange maize cobs, which have been found to yield up to six tons per hectare in farmer trials – similar to yields from hybrid white maize varieties. The maize meal can be used to produce a range of foods, including the Zambian staple food nshima. With much higher levels of vitamin A than white maize, the spread of these varieties, three of which are likely to be released in 2012, will be a major weapon in Zambia’s fight against vitamin A deficiency.
Find out more about this promising crop in a recent HarvestPlus audio interview.