As GMOs fail, Mozambique farmers turn to natural sweet potatoes to improve nutrition, yields and income - NaturalNews.com
(NaturalNews) In an attempt to curb vitamin A deficiencies, Mozambican researchers have worked tirelessly to create a non-genetically modified (GM), vitamin-enriched sweet potato that comes in multiple varieties suitable for the climates in which they'll grow, according to a new report by SciDev.net.
Dubbed the Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (OFSP) initiative, an estimated 135,000 smallholder farmers in Mozambique, half of whom are women, are expected to begin growing the new varieties in an effort to provide a rich source of vitamin A.
Approximately 70 percent of people residing in Mozambique suffer from vitamin A deficiencies, most of them women and children under the age of five. Medium- to deep-orange-colored sweet potatoes provide the most nutrition, as they're rich in beta-carotene, a building block for vitamin A. Just a half of cup of boiled or mashed orange sweet potatoes provides a child under five with adequate daily vitamin A intake, according to ReliefWeb.int.
