A number of African countries have launched campaigns to increase consumption of orange-flesh sweet potatoes in order to combat malnutrition.

It is estimated that about one in nine people in the world do not have enough food, most of them from developing countries. One in every four people in sub-Saharan Africa is malnourished, according to data from the World Food Organisation.

This malnourishment, which occurs when a person’s diet doesn’t have the right amount of nutrients, is characterised by a Vitamin A deficiency.

According to Francis Kweku Amagloh, a human nutritionist and food technologist in Ghana, staple foods on the continent such as maize, cassava, potato, rice, teff and wheat contain insignificant amounts of Vitamin A or beta-carotene.

“Intake of orange-flesh sweet potatoes would meet the required daily Vitamin A intake especially for children and lactating mothers,” said Dr Amagloh.

Vitamin A deficiency is a leading cause of preventable childhood blindness and mortality from infections, especially in children and pregnant women. It affects the poorest segments of the population, particularly those in low and middle-income countries.

Orange-flesh sweet potato is a conventionally bred bio-fortified variety aimed at reducing micronutrient deficiency and is as sweet as the indigenous white-flesh sweet potato.

It is an important source of energy and beta-carotene, which is converted into Vitamin A in the body and also contains some vitamin C and iron.

According to scientists, 125 grammes of a fresh sweet potato root from most orange-flesh sweet potatoes varieties contains enough beta-carotene to provide the daily pro-Vitamin A needs of children and pregnant women.

Incorporating orange-flesh sweet potato in people’s diets is a difficult task as tubers and roots are not very popular foods.

In Ethiopia, teff — a cereal related to wheat — is the most widely consumed cereal.

“We emphasise the importance of including tubers and roots as part of a daily diet because they are high in productivity and nutrients,” said Haile Tesfay in Tigray, northern Ethiopia.

Cereal production in Ethiopia has been increasing over the past 10 years, however, malnutrition remains a major problem. “We started with breeding and developing orange-flesh sweet potato seeds and focused on households with young children,” said Dr Tesfay.

In order to reduce Vitamin A deficiency in school-going children, a feeding programme was introduced where children from 47 schools were given orange-flesh sweet potatoes with their meals. “We want to make sure children have at least one meal with orange-flesh sweet potatoes every week,” said Dr Tesfay.

In Uganda, sweet potatoes are a common staple food in many parts of the country. There are currently five bio-fortified orange-flesh sweet potato varieties.

However, 32 per cent of children under five years still suffer from Vitamin A deficiency and the government is working on improving nutrition and enhancing dietary diversification.

It has partnered with researchers and development partners to establish and train local seed multipliers to produce orange-flesh sweet potatoes seeds and vines.

In Kenya, the government has been promoting folic acid supplements in pregnant mothers by emphasising inclusion of orange-flesh sweet potatoes in their diet.