Factors affecting farmers' willingness and ability to adopt and retain vitamin A-rich varieties of orange-fleshed sweet potato in Mozambique

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dc.contributor.authorJenkins, Micaen
dc.contributor.authorByker Shanks, Carmenen
dc.contributor.authorBrouwer, Rolanden
dc.contributor.authorHoughtaling, Baileyen
dc.contributor.departmentHuman Nutrition, Foods, and Exerciseen
dc.date.accessioned2019-09-05T17:12:01Zen
dc.date.available2019-09-05T17:12:01Zen
dc.date.issued2018-12en
dc.description.abstractThe addition of orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) to the food environment is an effective nutrition-sensitive agricultural approach to improve vitamin A intakes. However, the adoption of this biofortified crop merits further study. The objective of our research was to understand factors that affect Mozambican farmers' adoption and retention of OFSP varieties, with a specific interest in the retention of planting material. Field research was conducted in three provinces of Mozambique during 2015. Provinces with different OFSP intervention histories were selected to allow for the identification of site-specific factors and the impact of variable approaches over time. Qualitative inquiry was used to assess participants' progress through the five stages of the Innovation-Decision process in the Diffusion of Innovations Theory. Ninety-five producers, consumers, and market stakeholders of OFSP participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus groups. Results indicate that diverse factors influenced the adoption and retention of OFSP, including organoleptic qualities, taste preferences, access to planting material, agronomic traits, environmental conditions, lack of capital for inputs and labor, unstable markets, and limited sharing of information and planting material across farmer networks. Current OFSP varieties were acceptable to Mozambican farmers and consumers, but there are several remaining challenges to reaching a critical mass such as lack of access to planting material, perceptions of superior drought tolerance of white-fleshed sweet potato (WFSP), and the belief that OFSP requires additional effort to cultivate (e.g. weed removal, measuring space between plants). Key recommendations which may be considered in future planning for OFSP interventions in Mozambique and other countries include enabling decentralized vine multipliers to provide vines to community members at no cost, continued focus on breeding and distribution of more drought tolerant varieties of OFSP, and training on the similarities in agronomic practices required for producing and preserving OFSP and WFSP.en
dc.description.notesResearch presented in this publication was supported by funding from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Partial funding for the study was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P20GM103474 and Award Number 5P20GM104417. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Funding for Open Choice publication was provided by the Montana State University Open Access Author Fund. The staff at the International Potato Center (CIP) provided in-country support for this research in Mozambique. The authors would like to thank the farmers who shared their time, their experiences, and their stories.en
dc.description.sponsorshipFulbright U.S. Student Program; National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health [P20GM103474, 5P20GM104417]; Montana State Universityen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-018-0845-9en
dc.identifier.eissn1876-4525en
dc.identifier.issn1876-4517en
dc.identifier.issue6en
dc.identifier.pmid30631382en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/93401en
dc.identifier.volume10en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.subjectOrange-fleshed sweet potatoen
dc.subjectVitamin Adeficiencyen
dc.subjectNutritionen
dc.subjectFarmersen
dc.subjectFood-based approachen
dc.subjectFood environmenten
dc.titleFactors affecting farmers' willingness and ability to adopt and retain vitamin A-rich varieties of orange-fleshed sweet potato in Mozambiqueen
dc.title.serialFood Securityen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
dc.type.dcmitypeStillImageen

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