Abidin, P.E.

Botha, B.

Chipungu, F.P.

Kapalasa, E.

Nyekanyeka, T.

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Food Security • Increased  food availability especially during food lean months through maize meal substitution • Positive  food insecurity coping mechanism. In the past households reduced number of meals per day to 2 or 1 but now they consume OFSP  to have 3 meals per day. •  Contributing to increased yields and production.                      • Beneficiary groups also reported increased household income  from sale of vines and roots.  Especially Decentralized Vine Multipliers.  Nutrition • Expanded knowledge on vitamin A, B, C and K and their importance in human nutrition due to awareness campaigns, training and mass media • Older women participants in FGDs testified improved vision due to OFSP  consumption • Female participants reported that OFSP  is appetizing for school going children and kids  Gender empowerment • OFSP vines and products  are creating business opportunities for women • Women participants indicated that  there is improvement in terms of decision making on use of household income                     Potential for lucrative markets • Blantyre Market traders reported that OFSP is always in high demand among consumers and that sells fast and fetches hire prices • A visit to  Shoprite revealed that  white fleshed sweet potatoes  price ranged from 1.1USD/ Kg to 3.5/ Kg  where as  farmers  farm gate prices was about  0.16 USD /Kg • Fresh mark  of Shoprite indicated that they would be willing to buy from Malawian farmers as long as they meet quality standards and constant supply   Main drivers of adoption and use of OFSP • Awareness campaigns  and training on importance and use of OFSP • Voucher system of seed dissemination • High marketability of  OFSP roots in local Markets • Existence of DVM’s in the local communities • Strong Partnership             Methodology  • Focused Group discussions (10) • Key informant interviews    • Case studies and observations • Literature review and secondary data collection      Background  In Malawi, about 60% of children under five, 57% of non-pregnant women, and 38% of men and school-age children have vitamin A deficiency (MoHP 2003).  In 2009, CIP and partners through SPHI started implementing a ‘Rooting out hunger in Malawi with nutritious OFSP project’. The project aims to improve vitamin A and energy intake for at least 70,000 rural   households with women and young children using OFSP-based approaches, to ensure that at least 20% of households growing OFSP earn at least $100 USD per year from OFSP sales, increase their average sweetpotato yields by 50%. By 2012, the project had registered tremendous progress including quantitative data on project outputs as captured by implementing partners in the respective districts.   A beneficiary assessment was conducted to assess the contribution of OFSP varieties on household food and nutrition security and the extent to which the project has empowered women in economic activities from beneficiaries’ point of view. The study was also aimed at building on quantitative data by providing additional qualitative information and to inform future comprehensive quantitative  data collection exercises.   Conclusions  and Recommendations From the  FGDs and key informant interviews; • OFSP   has repositioned the sweetpotato crop in Malawi to valuable crop due to multiple benefits • Creation of effective market linkages for fresh root and private sector involvement could kick start sweetpotato commercialization in Malawi • OFSP  is becoming a strategic crop for  food security, nutrition  and gender  empowerment •  The study also recommends consideration to capture communities perceptions on OFSP impact in future evaluations    Correspondence: International Potato Centre, Malawi Office , P.O. Box 31600, Lilongwe , Email ; p.abidin@cgiar.org ; tednyek@yahoo.com  website: www.sweetpotatoknowledge.org   OFSP  trait Farmer Experiences Production High yielding, produces big roots, early maturing than local  Cooking Tasty, Sweet, High dry matter (Fills the stomach faster and you stay longer without going hungry again- good for manual work) Very appetizing to children  Leaves can be used for relish  (Softer and tastier than  that of other varieties) Processing Puree is used for a range of products- doughnuts, bread, biscuits  Chips , sweet beer, flitters, juice Nutrition and Health Has required vitamins which are good for children Improved sight for old  people Provides special energy for doing work  Marketability Finishes quickly at the market Fetches higher price as compared to white fleshed  variety     Figure 3: Three year –old  Alinafe Chikwawa   from Mwandama II village in Zomba enjoying OFSP product  District Partner Group name Group Type FGD  Participants Male Female Total  Dedza  Concern Universal Tikondane Beneficiary 0 12 12 Tsanjalare Beneficiary 6 9 15 Chibvano Non benef 0 17 17 Zomba Millennium Villages Project Mwandama Beneficiary 0 11 11 Chisomo Beneficiary 7 8 15 Phalombe Concern Universal Group 1 Non benef 0 16 16 Group 2 Beneficiary 0 10 10 Group 3 Beneficiary 12 0 12 Chikwawa CADECOM Mkata Beneficiary 10 12 22 Tome Non benef 12 11 23 Total 47 106 153  -     2,000   4,000   6,000   8,000   10,000   12,000   14,000   16,000   18,000   20,000  Kg/ha Year Figure 1: Trend in national average sweet potato  yield  Source : Ministry of Agriculture, 2012 Results  Knowledge of  OFSP • Participants in all FGDs especially beneficiary farmer groups had good  knowledge of OFSP through awareness creating demand and radio program • Similar traits of OFSP variety were highlighted among participants Figure 2: Women  captured selling  Zondeni vines at  open market in Phalombe district-  References CIP 2012. Rooting out Hunger in Malawi with nutritious orange fleshed sweet potato. Mid year sweet potato project report: Year 3. Prepared for Irish Aid, Abidin, P.E (ed). Submitted by CIP in July 2012, CIP Malawi, 38pp.  MoHP. 2003. "Report of the National Micronutrient. Survey  2001." Ministry of Health and Population, Lilongwe, Malawi  World Bank ( 2001). Beneficiary  Assessment.  www.siteresources.worldbank.org/INPSIA/Resources/490023(accessed October 2012)       Acknowledgements Irish Aid  Ministry of Agriculture- Department of Agricultural Research Services and Department of Agricultural Extension Services Implementing Partners: Concern Universal (CU), Catholic Development Commission ( CADECOM), Millenium Villages Project (MVP),WALA- CRS, Farmers Union of Malawi, FAO, Kachele Farmers Club         Checklists were used to guide FGDs. Key issues and questions included; • Knowledge of OFSP • What are the benefits/changes of OFSP so far at household level? • What main factors influenced OFSP adoption?  • Impact on gender empowerment decision making and control of  income? • Any potential  for lucrative markets for OFSP fresh root? Table 1: Participants in FGDs  Table 2: OFSP preferred traits  Figure 4 : Women group displaying OFSP products during open day in Dowa district  Ted Nyekanyeka1, Eliya Kapalasa1, Felistus Chipungu2, Blessings Botha3 and Putri Abidin1  1International Potato Center, Lilongwe, Malawi; 2 Department of Agricultural Research Services (DARS),   Malawi; 3 Irish Aid Malawi MALAWI GOVERNMENTImproving Food  Security, Nutrition and Gender Empowerment 

Improving food security, nutrition and gender empowerment.

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Improving food security, nutrition and gender empowerment.

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