The Sweetest Thing: Sweetpotatoes

Fast Facts

• Sweetpotato ranks as the world's seventh most important food crop after wheat, rice, maize, potato, barley and cassava principally because of its versatility and adaptability.

• More than 133 million tons of sweetpotato are cultivated annually in over 100 developing countries.

• Sweetpotatoes are high in carbohydrates and Vitamin A and can produce more edible energy per day than wheat, rice or cassava. In addition, when consumed, the plant's green leaves provide additional protein, vitamins and minerals.

• Contrary to popular belief, sweetpotatoes are not related to potatoes. Sweetpotatoes belong to the Convolvulaceae while potatoes are members of the Solanacae family which includes tomatoes, red peppers, and eggplant. Sweetpotatoes are reproduced vegetatively through sprouts or vine cuttings.

• Sweetpotatotes exist in many colors of skin and flesh, ranging from white to deep purple, although white and yellow-orange flesh are the most common.

• Sweetpotato is typically a small farmer crop grown on marginal soils.

• China is the world's largest producer of sweetpotato, with an annual output of almost 117 million tons accounting for approximately 90% of global production.

Why do Sweetpotatoes Matter?

Millions of Africans suffer Vitamin A deficiency because the main sources of Vitamin A such as meat, milk, and certain fruits and vegetables are expensive and not regularly available.

Vitamin A deficiency is a leading cause of early childhood death and a major risk factor for pregnant and lactating women across Africa. The condition weakens the immune system, leaving victims susceptible to measles, malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea. In Sub-Saharan Africa, around 3 million children under the age of five suffer from a vitamin A-related form of blindness known as xerophthalmia, or dry eye.

Current efforts to combat Vitamin A deficiency in Africa focus on providing vitamin and mineral supplements for pregnant women and young children and on fortifying foods with these nutrients through postharvest processing. Although many people have benefited, these approaches are expensive and difficult to administer in remote areas with poor infrastructure. The introduction of biofortified crops-varieties bred for increased mineral and vitamin content---complements existing nutrition interventions and provides a low-cost way of reaching people with poor access to formal markets or health care systems.

Since the mid-1990's, the International Potato Center (CIP) has been breeding sweetpotato varieties rich in beta-carotene to match local growing conditions and cooking preferences in Africa. CIP studies show that consuming as little as 100 grams of orange-colored sweet potatoes a day can eliminate or significantly reduce Vitamin A deficiency.

The CGIAR and Sweetpotatoes

Africa

Vitamin A for Africa (VITAA)

In 2001, CIP partnered with Uganda's National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), the non-profit AFRICARE, and Makarere University, among others, to coordinate the Vitamin A for Africa (VITAA) Partnership, now present in ten African countries. The initiative distributes and promotes the use of orange-fleshed sweet potato varieties with local communities, targeting mother's groups, small farmers and producer organizations.

Major Achievements:

• In 2002, nearly 40,000 Ugandan farmers received samples of improved orange-fleshed sweetpotatoes for planting through the Buganda Cultural and Development Foundation. By 2004, an estimated two million Ugandans were eating the new varieties.
• A study conducted by South African scientists under the umbrella of VITAA confirmed that children aged 5-10 who eat orange-fleshed sweetpotatoes daily (100-200 g) significantly increase their levels of vitamin A after 11 weeks.
• By 2004, CIP varieties of orange-flesh sweetpotatoes had reached 8.5 mg of beta-carotene per 100g of fresh weight, which is well above the previously recorded levels in Uganda.
• By the end of 2005, in Western Kenya, VITAA had distributed about 30 million cuttings of mainly orange-fleshed sweetpotatoes.

A Personal Story: Meet Jowelia Sekiyanja

Jowelia Sekiyanja, from Mayilikiti village in Uganda's Luwero district, spent most of her life farming the quarter-acre garden she and her husband owned with crops such as bananas, sweetpotaotes, maize, beans and cassava. When her husband left home to work as a civil servant, Jowelia was alone with their eight children.

Her life changed when Makarere University's Child Health and Nutrition Program encouraged her and other mothers to join the campaign against micronutrient deficiency in children. Jowelia is today a strong advocate of the VITAA Partnership project and has become a prime supplier of orange-fleshed variety vine cuttings for her community. As her own income grew, her status in the family and community was transformed.

Jowelia's earnings - as much as US$1,200 a season - have enabled her to build a house for her family and buy other items such as clothing, a radio and a refrigerator. "As a wife who was entirely depending on her husband I feel really proud that my children no longer have to wait for their father to bring the money in order to attend school" says Jowelia. "The arrival of orange-fleshed sweetpotato has been a money spinner for many women", she says.

Expanding Reach: Sweetpotatoes and HarvestPlus

HarvestPlus is a global alliance of research institutions and implementing agencies that have come together to breed and disseminate crops for better nutrition. It is coordinated by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and includes over 100 institutional partners from the agriculture and public health research and development communities. HarvestPlus' mission is to reduce the effects of micronutrient malnutrition on poor populations in developing countries, and improve food security, production and quality of life by providing biofortified staple crops as a low cost, sustainable option. This strategy seeks to take advantage of the consistent daily consumption of large amounts of staple food crops by families in poor countries. HarvestPlus was implemented on a full-time basis in January 2004 and is one of the CGIAR's Global Challenge Programs.

In 2005, HarvestPlus received a US$ 6 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to introduce orange-fleshed sweetpotatoes into the diets of the undernourished in East Africa. HarvestPlus in partnership with CIP, African and European Universities, NARS and national and international NGOs will apply the grant in pilot areas throughout East Africa, including Uganda where Vitamin-A deficiency affects 38% of all children and in Mozambique where it affects 68%.

India

Currently in India, approximately 30-40,000 children suffer from eye disease brought on by vitamin A deficiency. Staff in CIP's Regional Office for Southwest and Central Asia are applying the lessons learned from VITAA in Africa to introduce, develop and disseminate orange-fleshed sweetpotatoes in parts of India. Currently, nearly 70,000 vine cuttings of orange-fleshed sweetpotato have been distributed for planting in the farming communities of Orissa and eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Timor Leste: More Sweetpotatoes per Hectare

New CIP sweetpotato clones, CIP-1, CIP-6 and CIP-7, are having a direct impact on the livelihoods, nutrition, and health of rural people in Timor-Leste. The clones produce up to five times the yield of the best local varieties. Timor Leste's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery has currently distributed over 10,000 CIP-1 and CIP-6 vine cuttings in four districts, and a second distribution phase is now taking place with funding from ACIAR and AUSAID.

China : Improving Sweetpotato Pig Feed Production Systems

A CIP-developed ensilage method of making pig feed from sweetpotato is having a significant impact on livelihoods in China and Southeast Asia, where pork is a key source of protein. Instead of chopping up and boiling sweetpotato or feed, villagers are fermenting sweetpotatoes to create a more digestible pig feed thus reducing their costs, fattening their pigs faster, and raising household incomes.

Farmers easily learn the simple ensilaging system and how to use feed supplements. As silage, the roots, vines and foliage can be stored as high-quality feed for up to six months. They need not be cooked, and the same amount of feed produces more meat. "Significant gains in productivity in smallholder pig production are possible with a modest investment in research and extension", said Keith Fuglie, leader of CIP's Impact Enhancement Division.

Link to Sweetpotato Photo Slideshow

Useful Links

CIP Website
VITAA Partnership Website
HarvestPlus Website
Gates Foundation grant to disseminate biofortified sweetpotato news release (CIP Website)