Supported under USAID’s Feed the Future (FTF) initiative, the project sought to improve overall household food security and diet diversification through effective dissemination of pro-vitamin A rich OFSP varieties and improved production, conservation, and utilization techniques linked to increased nutritional knowledge. We identified and strengthened partnerships that worked to promote OFSP adoption.  They ensured access to OFSP planting material through the establishment of an active and knowledgeable sweetpotato community of practice among rural households.  This community of practice focused on integrating and enhancing food security and dietary diversification, which ensured that women in particular benefited from OFSP-based nutrition and market interventions in the maize-dominated cropping systems.  We implemented the following components:

• Creation of partnerships with relevant government departments, NGOS, and other private sector players to implement the project.
• Generation of high quality planting vines and establishment of an effective delivery system to rural households for increased OFSP productivity.
• Provision of nutritional knowledge with particular reference to VAD, OFSP, child care and dietary diversification, especially to women in the beneficiary households.
• Development of promotional and educational messages and their dissemination to the public through Nyanja and Bemba radio programs, dance, poetry, songs, field days and banners to create and sustain market demand for OFSP vines, roots, leaves and processed products made from OFSP.
• Building capacity of national implementing partners to design and implement a strong and cost-effective research, training and intervention activities that drive successful adoption and utilization of OFSP.