Using Evidence to Inform the Scale-Up and Adoption of Bio-Fortified Orange Sweet Potato in Uganda

In Uganda, Vitamin A deficiency is a health challenge, with 28 percent of preschool children estimated to be deficient. HarvestPlus commissioned evaluations to assess the impact of vitamin A-enriched orange sweet potato (OSP) on health and on farmers' adoption of the crop.

Between 2007 and 2009, HarvestPlus and its NGO partners distributed the biofortified OSP to 10,000 households in the Mukono, Kamuli and Bukedea districts. Over those two years, project staff conducted agricultural training for farmers. They also provided nutritional training on the benefits of consuming Vitamin A-enriched OSP, particularly for women and children.The first impact evaluation found that the Vitamin A status of deficient children improved after they consumed OSP.