Malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency. In this case, GMOs are useless. Researchers from Mozambique have worked for 15 years to select a variety of sweet potato rich in vitamin A that would be ideal food for the population.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Malnutrition and deficiency of Vitamin A. In this case the GM they are not needed. Researchers from Mozambique for 15 years worked to select a variety of sweet potato rich in vitamin A which can represent an ideal nourishment for the population.
It is a variety of sweet potato from orange pulp. At least 135 small farmers in Mozambique will start growing it. There non-GMO sweet potato enriched with vitamin A, it has been specially developed to combat malnutrition.
Agricultural and food demand for the new variety is the result of good crop yields and a campaign born for involve farmers and educate consumers on the benefits of this new crop.
The orange sweet potato was introduced in Mozambique as early as 1990 to try to solve the problem of high levels of vitamin A deficiency, found especially in women and children under the age of five.
A group of researchers from Mozambique had a long discussion on the subject and decided to invest in the cultivation of orange pulp sweet potatoes. The initiative gained momentum immediately, as farmers were already familiar with growing other sweet potato varieties.
The new variety could easily be distributed to farmers across the country, according to Maria Isabel Andrade, researcher who took care of the initiative and representative of Mozambique at the International Potato Center, an important center for research and development in the cultivation of potatoes and tubers, based in Peru.
The research enabled the experts to identify eight potato varieties that possess good yields. L'agriculture of Mozambique has been severely tested by floods, especially in early 2000, and now faces climate change. Researchers selected the most drought tolerant potato varieties and carried out a wide range of laboratory and field studies to identify the varieties best suited to Mozambique's needs.
The trial period for cultivation has shown that a integrated approach, involving local researchers, farmers and scientists, could be successful in Mozambique, so that the sweet potato with orange pulp enriched with vitamin A can be available to the entire population and help fight malnutrition and infant mortality.
Marta Albè
Photo source: ncsweetpotatoes.com
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