In a bid to eliminate malnutrition by 2020, Rwanda has embraced the alternative of the using the orange sweet potato to fight to improve its citizens nutrition status.
Rwanda and the International Potato Center (CIP) launched a project dubbed “Scaling up Sweet potato Through Agriculture and Nutrition (SUSTAIN”) among Innovative ways to combat malnutrition and increase farmers’ income in Rwanda.
The Initiative, launched on March 10, in Kigali is aimed at promoting orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) in different parts of the country.
Prof Jean Jacques Mbonigaba Muhinda, the Director General of Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB), noted that the project will help the country to improve its nutrition status.
Mbonigaba noted that 125 grams of orange flesh sweet potato contain enough vitamin A to meet the daily recommended dietary allowance even for an adult.
“SUSTAIN project and other partners have planned to reach 18 districts and as partnerships grow we hope to reach other parts of the country,”
According to Kirimi, 200,000 direct beneficiaries will have access to improved OFSP varieties and especially households with children less than 5 years.
“First we start by ensuring that Rwanda has high quality “clean” seed system in collaboration with RAB with SASHA II seed system project to develop a revolving fund,” Kirimi pointed out.
In 2013, the Ministry of Health launched a campaign dubbed “1000 Days” to fight against malnutrition right from pregnancy through to the first two years of a child’s life.
In Rwanda, SASHA recorded great successes in four districts namely Gakenke, Rulindo, Muhanga and Kamonyi Districts.