To scale-down climbing malnutrition levels and its related-health challenges, government has launched a multi-sector campaign to promote scientifically-enriched staple food crops that provide essential vitamins for human growth.
The crops include beans and orange sweet potatoes, which have been improved by scientists at the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) to offer high levels of iron, zinc and vitamin A. In the last ten years, scientists at Namulonge and Kawanda-based NARO laboratories have successfully bred high-iron beans and orange-fleshed sweet potatoes through bio-fortification processes.
Rolled out on a pilot scheme in more than 40 districts, the bio-fortified beans and orange potatoes have tremendously improved nutrition in children, mothers and boosted household incomes.
Dr Imelda Kashaija, the NARO deputy director general, says the existence of iron, zinc and vitamin A bio-fortified crop varieties provides a golden opportunity the country needs to leverage on and sustainably tackle the core micronutrient challenges.
HIDDEN HUNGER
According to the latest Uganda Demographic and Health Survey, 29 percent of children under five years of age are stunted due lack of iron, zinc and vitamin A in their diet. In most cases, their mothers also suffer from anemia, a condition that leads to mental impairment, lower immunity, brain damage and physical disabilities, among others, in children.
Health experts have proved that bio-fortified staple food crops can treat such nutrition deficiencies, also known as hidden hunger, in mothers and children. It is against such background that on July 18, agriculture minister Bamulangaki Ssempijja launched the ‘End Micro-Nutrient Deficiencies in Uganda Now, Eat Bio-fortified Crops’ campaign.
Ssempijja inaugurated the Bio-fortification Technical Working Group, which comprises 25 officials from private sector, non-government organisations (NGOs), government ministries, institutions and agencies.
The ministries onboard include; agriculture, animal industry and fisheries, health, finance, planning and economic development, local government, education and sports, trade, industry and cooperatives, gender, labour and social development as well as science, technology and innovation.
The institutions and agencies are: Makerere and Kyambogo universities, NARO, the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), Uganda National Farmers Federation (UNFF), UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and US Agency for International Development (USAID). HarvestPlus, who pioneered the distribution of bio-fortified potato vines and bean seeds in the pilot scheme, are the lead non-government stakeholder.
The group is tasked with ensuring farmers access bio-fortified crop varieties, create national awareness about the crops and their products and provide technical and financial support to researchers and farmers. In his remarks after launching the campaign, Ssempijja said bio-fortified crops will also help government achieve food security while promoting sustainable agriculture in the country.
Sylvia Magezi, the HarvestPlus country manager, distributed bio-fortified orange sweet potato vines and bean seeds to more than 600,000 households in 45 districts across the country. She is optimistic the launch of this multi-sector group will scale up the intake of bio-fortified crops.
Some of the testimonies from smallholder farmers recruited by HarvestPlus into growing of bio-fortified beans and orange potatoes confirm that they are disease-resistant, give high yields and mature faster compared to traditional varieties. If the burden of buying pesticides and artificial fertilizers is eliminated, then there cannot be a better deal than bio-fortified crops, Ssempijja remarked.
mugalu@observer.ug