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SASHA Brief 2011: Integrating health and agriculture to maximize the nutritional impact of orange-fleshed sweetpotato: The Mama SASHA proof-of-concept project in Western Kenya

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) contributes to significant health problems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Most vulnerable are the young children and pregnant or lactating women. Orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) is an important source of energy and beta-carotene, which is converted into Vitamin A in the body. This brief is reporting on project seeking to explicitly integrate agriculture and nutrition interventions into antenatal health care services to maximize the potential benefits of OFSP on the health status of mothers and children less than 2 years of age. Particularly, its seeking to provide solid evidence for the effectiveness of this innovative approach to integrate OFSP promotion and production with public health care services. Initial results unexpectedly showed high rates of participation from pregnant women during the pilot phase suggest that the integration of orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP), nutrition education and vine distribution into antenatal care is reaching target audiences. It promises to not only increase use and awareness of the benefits of OFSP among targeted populations but also attract more women into timely antenatal care services.

HOW TO CITE

Ouedraogo, H. and Levin, C. 2011. Integrating health and agriculture to maximize the nutritional impact of orange-fleshed sweetpotato: The Mama SASHA proof-of-concept project in Western Kenya. International Potato Center (CIP).