Background

1

• Background
• Introduction and evaluation of orange-fleshed
  sweetpotato (OFSP)
• Survey on market assessment, (food price, food
  availability)
• Massive multiplication and distribution of OFSP
  planting materials
• Weaning food
• Development of socio-market strategies, product
  development and income generating activities
• Impact

2
Malnutrition

• Micronutrient malnutrition affects more than half
  of world population
• One third of world people suffer from vitamin and
  mineral deficiencies
• More than 2 billion people are Fe deficient
• Billions are Zn deficient
• Two thirds of the 17 Million Mozambican live in
  absolute poverty
• One child in each seven dies the first year of
  life
• One child in each five dies before reaching five
  
• 45 of the infant-juvenile deaths are due to
  malnutrition
• 70 of the children up to five suffer of
  Vitamin A deficiency
• 80 of the children of 6 to 9 months old don't
  receive complementary vitamins and essential
  minerals
• The main dietary problem is Protein Energy
  Malnutrition (PEM) and Micronutrient malnutrition
  
• Mozambique has one of the most elevated rates of
  maternal mortality of the world

3
Major Objectives and Strategies

• Enhance NARS capacity to improve food security
  and rural income through
• Multiplication and distribution of improved
  sweetpotato and cassava varieties
• Training of a wide range of stakeholders
• Development, and diffusion crops and products
• Dissemination activities by NGO, CBO, Extension
• Planning
• Participatory Breeding
• Identification of farmers to farmers consumers
• Market chain
• Strategic communication
• Seed distribution and processed products
• Consumers acceptability test

4
Fundaments
Learn base on success and failure
Strategic partnership
Available Germplasm
Market Options
Scaling up
Options of technologies
Political Options
Facilitation
Research/Extension To farmers
Exchange of information/knowledge
Training
5

• Evaluation Of Nineteen Orange-Fleshed
  Sweetpotato Clones Across Twenty One Different
  Environments Of Mozambique
• Top 8 varieties which performed best across a
  range of agro-ecological conditions
• Structured survey (10 districts in 7 provinces)
  questionnaire was used for market assessment,
  (food price, food availability), and focus group
  discussion, were conducted
• To identify seasonal production patterns,
  cultural attitudes and practices, concerning
  child feeding and food preparation, as well as
  beliefs that could have important influences on
  childs dietary intake
• Food items were converted to nutrients using
  conversion factors per 100 g edible portion
  (Summary of Conversion Factors and Densities,
  1991)
• Then costs per nutrient density in kilocalories
  were compared
• Availability of Vitamin A rich food-stuffs were
  also examined and the cost per 100 retinol
  equivalent (RE) was compared
• The staple foods and vitamin A rich sources were
  seasonal
• Dark green leafy and some fruits were the basic
  pro-vitamin A sources. Nutrients of animal origin
  were expensive, though available in the majority
  of visited sites
• Inorganic constituents were supplied mainly by
  cereals and legumes, but ascorbic-acid rich foods
  were scarce
•  

6
Child feeding practices and mothers/caregivers
behaviour

• The delivery of foods to young dependents
  children varied substantially according to
  cultural beliefs
• Early introduction of liquids (tea, water and
  herbal infusion), and semi-solids or solids was
  reported everywhere
• The data showed that average duration of
  exclusive breastfeeding was two months
• Food taboos among caregivers, pregnant and
  lactating women were quite often reported
  Interestingly these foods were Vitamin A and iron
  nutrients rich that could prevent anaemia

7
Flood Disaster Mitigation

• In February-March 2000, the worst floods for 5
  decades devastated Mozambique, leaving thousands
  homeless and threatening food supplies
• Over 450,000 were displaced and accommodated in
  about 100 accommodation camps
• Up to 1000 people died
• People lost their farms, animals and granaries
• The majority of crops under cultivation were lost
• In response to this OXFAM GB provided
  IITA-Mozambique with substantial
• So that when families are resettled back into
  their communities sweetpotato planting material
  will be provided to them
• Farmers will have roots to consume within 3-5
  months of planting, depending upon the variety
• The proposed inclusion of improved OFSP
  varieties, rich in the beta -carotene, will
  provide a good source of Vitamin A in addition to
  calories
• Leaves will be available for consumption within 2
  months of establishment
• Sweetpotato multiplication sites can continue to
  be multiplied throughout the dry season and
  improved varieties can be made available in large
  quantities

8
Multiplication and Distribution of Cassava and
Sweetpotato Planting Materials (2003)
9
Income generation
Training and promotion of income generating and
food processing technologies
10
Gender
Various social marketing strategies are applied
with women, children and promotion teams Weaning
food/ Gender
11
Strategies to promote OFSP
12
Promotion of Orange-fleshed Sweetpotato with
Restaurants, Farmers, Supermarkets, and Schools
13
Initial Plan / Where do we Stand?

• Distributed sweetpotato and cassava planting
  materials to 757,000 families across the country
  and established over 300 ha of cassava and
  sweetpotato multiplication plots to be
  distributed during 2004-2005 growing season
• 34.3 of farmers in the surveyed districts are
  using OFSP
• Widely and successfully promoted the cultivation
  and use of OFSP as means to reduce the risk of
  vitamin A deficiency countrywide
• Successfully promoted the utilization of OFSP
  nutritional concept in one pilot school to
  students of primary level in a primary school
• Promoted the utilization and agro-processing of
  both crops by demonstrating the use of improved
  tools and machines in workshops and field days
• Conducted several training workshops on
  production, agro-processing, market products
  development in concert with private and public
  agencies
• Group-training courses, attachments, promotional
  activities, development of training materials,
  and personnel development on cassava and
  sweetpotato were undertaken at different sites
• Established a series of cassava and sweetpotato
  variety trials at several locations with the aim
  of selecting the best adapted clones

14

• Besides, much information on post-harvest issues
  has been accumulated
• Finally, the food situation will definitely
  improve through higher yields especially in the
  78 districts that were covered by this project in
  the two years of its existence
• Special report fao/wfp crop and food supply
  assessment mission to mozambique 14 july 2004
• Cassava cultivation has expanded and will reduce
  food insecurity in areas where the maize crop was
  adversely affected by irregular rains. Higher
  incomes from the expansion of industrial crops
  are also contributing to food security among
  rural households
• The study covered 27 districts, involving 1088
  producers of cassava and 796 of sweetpotato in 6
  provinces
• About 2/3 of the interviewees have heard about
  the OFSP
• More than half of these grow OFSP
• Each primary beneficiary offered the material to,
  at least, 3 people
• More than half of the interviewees were satisfied
  their expectations food (62), yield (49),
  resistance to diseases (33) and establishment
  performance (21)
• Most cassava farmers (90.6) process such as
  dried cassava (for flours), rale, as well as
  beverages

15
Partners (Total 128)

• Government s (93)
• Research partners (25)
• International NGOs (10)
• National NGOs (7)
• CBOs (271)
• Private sector (manufacturers, shops,
  restaurants, processors) (4)