OFSP Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (High provitamin A)

Orange Sweetness, Nutrient Richness, and Farmer's Success - Embrace OFSP!

The Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) is a biofortified crop that contains high levels of beta-carotene. Sweet potato cultivars with orange flesh have more beta-carotene than those with light-colored flesh cultivars. After eating OFSP, the beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A, providing essential nutrition and supplementing the diet of people. It has huge potential to improve food and nutritional security across Africa.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

8•9

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 8/9; level of use 9/9

Positive or neutral impact

Adults 18 and over: Positive high
Others: Positive high
The poor: Positive medium
Under 18: Positive high
Women: Positive high

Positive or neutral impact

Climate adaptability: It adapts really well
Adaptability for farmers: It helps a lot
Carbon footprint: It doesn't reduce emissions at all
Environment: It makes a little difference
Soil quality: It doesn't harm the soil's health and fertility
Water usage: It uses a little less water

Negative or unknown impact

Biodiversity: This hasn't been looked at yet

Problem

Vitamin A Deficiency: Widespread vitamin A deficiency contributes to malnourishment, affecting the health and well-being of communities, especially children and pregnant women.
Insufficient Tuber Yields: Traditional sweet potato varieties yield only 3-7 tons per hectare, resulting in limited food availability and income for farmers.
Limited Nutrient Sources: The lack of diverse and nutrient-rich crops hampers overall nutrition, posing a challenge to addressing dietary deficiencies and promoting sustainable agriculture.

Solution

Beta-Carotene Enrichment: OFSP, with its high beta-carotene content, addresses vitamin A deficiency by providing a rich source of this essential nutrient, promoting better health and nutrition.
Improved Varieties and High Yields: OFSP's improved varieties yield 25 tons per hectare, significantly surpassing traditional varieties, thereby enhancing food security and increasing farmers' income.
Versatile and Nutrient-Rich Crop: OFSP offers a versatile and nutrient-rich crop, diversifying nutrient sources and contributing to overall nutrition, promoting a sustainable and healthier agricultural ecosystem.

Key points to design your project

This technology promotes gender inclusion by enhancing nutrition, offering essential nutrients, and improving food security in Africa. Additionally, it aligns with Sustainable Development Goals by addressing hunger and poverty, particularly benefiting women and children.

To integrate this technology into your project, create a list of project activities and prerequisites:

- Estimate the quantity of vines needed for your project knowing that 3 Tons of vines are sufficient for cultivating 3 hectares of land.

- As the technology is available in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda and Zambia, include the delivery cost to the project site and account for import clearance and duties if relevant.

A team of trainers could provide training and support during project installation. Include the cost for training and post-training support for using the technology.

Communication support for the technology should be developed (flyers, videos, radio broadcasts, etc.)

For better optimization of this technology, it is recommended to associate this technology with Drought and virus tolerant OFSP, Community-based cutting production, Tent-style greenhouse production of vines and cuttings, Raised bed production and weed management, Specially blended fertilizers, Relay intercropping of legumes with sweet potato and Silage production from sweet potato vines

To implement the technology in your country, you could collaborate with agricultural development institutes and seed multiplication companies.

Cost: $$$ 20 USD

10kg vines

200 kg

vines for 1 acre (0.3 hectare)

25 tons

per hectare

IP

Open source / open access

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested

Countries where the technology has been tested and adopted
Country	Tested	Adopted
Ethiopia	–Not tested	Adopted
Kenya	–Not tested	Adopted
Malawi	–Not tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–Not tested	Adopted
Uganda	–Not tested	Adopted
Zambia	–Not tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid	–	–	–	–
Semiarid	–		–
Subhumid	–		–
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 1: no poverty

Goal 2: zero hunger

Goal 3: good health and well-being

Obtain Planting Material:
- Purchase a 10kg bag of OFSP vines, usually available for less than USD 20, including transport costs.
Planting:
- Space the vines 50cm apart in rows, maintaining a 30cm distance from plant to plant.
Propagation:
- Use healthy slips or cuttings obtained from the vines. Plant the slips at an angle in the soil.
Region:
- OFSP is adaptable to all agroecologies in Africa, making it suitable for various climates and regions.
Application:
- OFSP tubers can be consumed after cooking. Alternatively, they can be milled into flour or mashed into puree for a range of products such as bread, chapatis, cakes, juices, and porridge.
Livestock Feed:
- Peels and tubers can be used to create feed meal for animal rearing, enhancing protein content. Leftover vines and low-grade tubers can be turned into silage, providing nutritious fodder for ruminant livestock and pigs.
Propagation Method:
- OFSP can be propagated from seeds, tubers, or vines. Cuttings from vines are commonly used for planting and are easy to prepare.
Planting Technique:
- Plant healthy slips or cuttings by inserting them at an angle in the soil, with a spacing of 50cm between rows and 30cm from plant to plant.
Availability:
- Improved OFSP varieties are available in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia, and are ready to be scaled for addressing malnutrition and increasing profits for producers.