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The Sweet Potato Team of the International Potato Center (CIP) in Peru

CIP, a member of the CGIAR, has expanded its work, to advance the contribution of sweet potato to African farmers and households to address Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is one of the most pernicious forms of undernourishment in the developing world. It limits growth, weakens immunity, affects sight and increases mortality. Afflicting over 140 million preschool children in 118 countries and more than seven million pregnant women, it is the leading cause of child blindness in developing countries.

The Team mobilized funds from interested donors and has been working to bring the nutritional benefits of orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) to an estimated nearly 2 million households in countries across Sub-Saharan Africa. OFSP, coupled with nutritional education, provides vitamin A to vulnerable populations. The Team fast tracked breeding of OFSP varieties in Africa, resulting in release of over 50 nutritious varieties along with increased technical capacity of national research staff in several countries and developing varieties with increased productivity and resistance to sweet potato virus disease. The Team led the design of an “Integrated Agriculture-Nutrition Marketing” approach to deliver OFSP planting material to vulnerable populations, combined with nutrition education and counseling, and demand creation strategies in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda with substantial impact at the farm and household levels. All four members of The Evaluation Team rated CIP submission on orange fleshed sweet potato as extremely qualified.