The Sweetpotato Action for Security and Health in Africa (SASHA) is a five-year initiative designed to improve the food security and livelihoods of poor families in Sub-Saharan Africa by exploiting the untapped potential of sweetpotato. It will develop the essential capacities, products, and methods to reposition sweetpotato in food economies of Sub-Saharan African countries to alleviate poverty and under-nutrition.

SWEETPOTATO ACTION FOR SECURITY AND HEALTH IN AFRICA

Jan Low

International Potato Center

1ST World Congress on Root & Tuber Crops

Nanning, China

18 January 2016

Delivering Biofortified Orange-fleshed Sweetpotato through

Nutrition and Income-Focused Value Chains in Sub-Saharan

Africa

China vs sub-Saharan Africa

2000-2001

2013-2014

Higher Yields Drive Diversified Use

Product photos courtesy of Dr. Jiang Xie

SPHI is a multi-partner, multi-donor initiative that seeks to reduce child

undernutrition and improve smallholder incomes in 10 million

African families by 2020 through the effective production and expanded use

of sweetpotato.

The Sweetpotato Action for Security and Health in Africa

(SASHA) Project is a 10 year project led by the International Potato Center that will develop

the essential capacities, products and methods to reposition

sweetpotato in the food economies of Sub-Saharan Africa. It serves as the foundation for the

broader Initiative.

Breeding in Africa for Africa

VAD prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa (2013) among children 5-64 months: 48%

More Adapted Varieties

Since 2009, 53 OFSP varieties 31 non-OFSP released in 14 of the 17 target countries.

How to Reach the “Client”

Food Security & Emergency

Response “fast calories”

Nutrition, especially Vitamin A

“quality food”

Incomes & Wealth “cash”

Mama SASHA Super Foods

Mama SASHA 5 year, quasi-experimental, nutrition, agriculture and health

linkages study in Western Kenya (2009-2014)

Integrated Partnerships: International Potato Center (CIP) in collaboration with PATH (International Health NGO), Univ. of Toronto, Emory Univ., CREADIS & ARDAP (2 Local Agricultural NGOs), MoA & MoH

Can linking vitamin A rich OFSP access and nutritional training to existing health services: 1) improve the consumption of

vitamin A rich foods and 2) improve maternal and child

nutrition?

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Mama SASHA had multiple components to connect pregnant women from communities to nearby ANC clinics, nutrition and health education and OFSP extension. Briefly, CHWs working in communities raised awareness of the importance of ANC. When women came to ANC they received vouchers for 100 free orange sweet potato vines. At the clinic they also received enhanced nutrition counseling . When they returned to the communities mothers redeemed their vouchers from nearby vine multiplier farmer plots supported by the project. They also joined project supported pregnant mother clubs in their villages. These clubs met monthly and reinforced messages on health and nutrition and preparing nutritious foods. Mothers also received support by agriculture extension agents for growing OFSP. Mothers were entitled to pick vouchers at 4 separate time points – once a trimester or three times during pregnancy and once in the first 6 weeks postpartum at a postnatal care visit

1. Purposive selection and random allocation of health facilities • 4 intervention, 4 comparison facilities in Bungoma and Busia counties

2. Cross-sectional baseline and endline surveys • Objective: Assess community level impact on diets and child nutrition • Design: 2 stage cluster randomized baseline / endline surveys in Mar-May

2011 and Mar-May2014; Detailed costing data for cost-effectiveness analysis

3. Nested Cohort Study (COVA) • Objective: Assess individual level impacts on maternal and child nutrition • Design: Longitudinal study, 505 women from pregnancy to 9 months

postpartum; Multi-pass 24 hour recalls conducted on 206 mother-infant dyads at 8-10 months postpartum.

4. 2 Qualitative studies: focus group discussions & observations

Evaluation Strategy

Results 28 months of implementation – April 2011-Aug 2013

Over 5,900 pregnant or lactating women had received 7,159 pairs of vouchers & 63% redeemed

Community health workers (CHWs) established 215 pregnant women clubs made up of 2,764 members

$105 USD per direct beneficiary household Cross-sectional Endline Survey Improved female caregivers’ knowledge about nutrition, vitamin A,

health seeking behavior, child care practices and diet diversity Full participants significantly higher number of ante-natal care (ANC)

visits (4.6) than control (4.2) Full participants started attending ANC significantly earlier (3.4

months) in their pregnancy than control (3.8 months)

Degree of Participation Matters Full vs. Partial vs. No participation in Intervention areas at Endline

Control Participation Level, Intervention Variable Areas None Partial FullOFSP production (kg) per capita 43.6 94.8 281.2 804.4

(20.475) (24.098) (74.103) (351.709)p values 0.131 0.000 0.000

Proportion children 6-24 months old 0.05 0.17 0.37 0.62consuming OFSP at least once a week (0.006) (0.016) (0.025) (0.032)

p values 0.000 0.000 0.000Index for frequency of consumption of 5.000 5.100 5.200 6.900 vitamin A rich foods during past week (0.119) (0.181) (0.200) (0.376)

p values 0.628 0.503 0.000Prevalence of stunting 0.270 0.230 0.250 0.190 (<-2 Length for age Z score) (0.013) (0.018) (0.022) (0.026)

p values 0.044 0.434 0.008Number of observations 1106 534 388 237Note: Standard errors in parentheses are clustered at the sublocality level; p values are in italics, comparing each participation group with the control group

COVA Longitudinal Study Results

0.4% 1.9% 0.0% 5.3% 8.4%

28.7%

35.7%

55.7%

Figure 1: Any OFSP consumption in past 7 days

control intervention

Late Pregnancy

4 mos postpartum

9 mos postpartum

Early Pregnancy

Greater OFSP production Greater improvements in vitamin

A knowledge among mothers Greater vitamin A intakes among

women & children Borderline improvements in

maternal vitamin A status and anemia in pregnancy

No improvement in young child stunting or vitamin A status

What Factors Drive Participation?

Key Determinants: More likely to fully participate

Close to the health facility Child born BEFORE incentive to

community health worker cut by 50% Quality of services at health facility Been growing sweetpotato 3 years ago Younger mothers Higher the dependency ratio in

household Wealthier households Principal caregiver is the household

head

Objectives of 4 Year Rwanda Super Foods Study

1. To develop an economically viable OFSP-based processed product

2. To develop, compare, and evaluate the relative efficiency of linking female and male sweetpotato farmers to an agro-processor

3. To re-position white and orange- fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) and its products in the rural, urban and semi-urban consumer markets.

Proof-of-Concept in 4 Districts

• International Potato Center (CIP) • Rwanda Agricultural Board (RAB) • SINA GERARD/URWIBUTSO

enterprises – 11 stores in Rwanda – Juice, bakery products, hot pepper

• Catholic Relief Services (CRS-Rwanda) • Young Women Christian Association

(YWCA) • IMBARAGA • Kigali Institute of Science and

Technology University • Rwanda Bureau of Standards

Monitoring & Survey Work Formative research: OFSP purée products more

economically viable than OFSP flour products Monitored yields annually and root & product sales monthly Baseline survey: 2012: 596 households;

279 Northern Districts 317 Southern Districts

Endline survey (# hhs): September 2014, 852 households Control (213): No participation in project activities Participants (327): Linked to project activities directly Spillovers (312): Obtained vines from project multipliers but

no direct access to market opportunities

Test 1: Possible to develop economically- viable sweetpotato processed products, acceptable to Rwandan consumers?

Launch in Nov 2012 From November 2012 through June 2014, Sina earned $364,410 in sales of OFSP products Post-project Sales from July 2014- July 2015, $403,559 --mandazi 81% --biscuits 19%

Golden Power Biscuits & Fried Doughnuts/Mandazi Most Popular

Biscuit Development Required Investment & Training

Manual biscuits making Wheat flour Biscuits Biscuits

packaged

Old technology

Farmer sorting out SP roots

New technology The Golden Power Biscuit

Packaging targeting high end

consumer

Packaging targeting

lower end consumer

EIL Support

One serving (4 biscuits) contains 157 µg Retinol Activity Equivalents (vitamin A).

% of households selling any sweetpotato (SP) in 2013/2014 50% Control 80% Participant 60% Spillover

Females participants: 42.5% of total sweetpotato sales transactions vs. 11.5% for males

Both participant female and male SP growers received higher average prices (145 and 149 Rf/kg, respectively) if they sold to Sina than if they sold to traders (111 Rw/kg) or directly to consumers (103 and 88 Rf/kg, respectively)

Note SINA encouraged to pay slightly above going market price

Test 2: If a value chain for processed products linked to a private sector actor leads to better returns for male and female producers than just accessing the local market

Yield Increase Driven by Clean Seed Enabled Surplus for Sale

8 million disease-free

cuttings from RAB raised yields

& enabled surplus for sale

Quantity of Sweetpotato Produced and Sold by Gender of Principal Grower*Total produced Value of Sales

(kg/HH) ($/HH)Control Female 119 409 28% 174Control Male 88 333 44% 181Participant Female 247 1118 33% 277Participant Male 80 1099 29% 143Spillover Female 220 487 28% 110Spillover Male 92 750 28% 109Total 846 731 31% 187*Source: Reported production and sales by plot by season for 2013-2014 from Rwanda Endline Survey.

Group Sample Size

% Production sold

Project set target that 75% of beneficiaries should be women Qualitative gender research found: Income-wise, there were greater benefits from personal plots than group plots, but women saw groups as platforms for sharing technical and personal information.

Test 3: If children under 5 years of age in beneficiary households show increased diet diversity & OFSP intake in a marketing focused intervention

OFSP got into young child diet, but probably at lower levels than if had been a nutrition education component Beneficiary children under five: OFSP 1.29 days per week vs 0.22 for control

No significant effect on young child diet diversity or frequency of intake of vitamin A rich foods

Test 4: If the communication strategy changed sweetpotato’s image

RADIO promotion & TV advertisement

Sign post advertising vines for sale

Exhibitions

Monthly newsletter

Agricultural Fairs

Conclusions Successfully demonstrated economically viable OFSP processed products Setting targets for female participation assured women did not lose out of commercialization Quality seed in sufficient quantities critical to success, enabling smallholders to have surplus to sell Projects will not get major nutritional impacts on young children with just a market intervention

Thanks for Your Attention

For further information: www.sweetpotatoknowledge.org