Delivering nutrients widely through biofortification: Building on orange sweet potato

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dc.creatorBouis, Howarth E.
dc.creatorIslam, Yassir
dc.date2012
dc.date2024-10-01T13:58:19Z
dc.date2024-10-01T13:58:19Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T15:19:08Z
dc.descriptionBiofortification seeks to reduce vitamin and mineral deficiencies among low-income populations by developing nutrient-rich staple food crops that are regularly consumed by the poor. The experience of scaling up orange sweet potato (OSP), a vitamin A–rich biofortified crop, demonstrates the potential of biofortification as a cost-effective and sustainable nutrition intervention. Projects implemented in Uganda and Mozambique increased OSP adoption and consumption, resulting in substantial improvements in vitamin A intake among women and children. Key lessons include the importance of establishing a critical mass of adopters, leveraging informal diffusion to reduce delivery costs, targeting women as both producers and caregivers, and creating demand through effective communication and branding. While initial efforts focused on seed systems and demand creation, long-term sustainability will require the development of markets and value chains that can reach both rural and urban consumers. The OSP experience suggests that successful scaling up of biofortified crops depends on evidence of public health impact, strong diffusion mechanisms, market development, private-sector engagement, and supportive investments in nutrition, agriculture, and policy systems.
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/153909
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/100998
dc.languageen
dc.publisherInternational Food Policy Research Institute
dc.relationhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/155313
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.sourceBouis, Howarth E.; Islam, Yassir. 2012. Delivering nutrients widely through biofortification: Building on orange sweet potato. In Scaling up in agriculture, rural development, and nutrition, eds. Linn, Johannes F. 2020 Vision Focus Brief 19(11). Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/153909
dc.subjectscaling up
dc.subjectagriculture
dc.subjectrural development
dc.subjectnutrition
dc.subjectbiofortification
dc.subjectsweet potatoes
dc.subjectretinol
dc.titleDelivering nutrients widely through biofortification: Building on orange sweet potato
dc.typeBrief

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Instituto Internacional de Investigación sobre Políticas Alimentarias (IFPRI)