The Resiliency in Northern Ghana (RING) project is to scale up the cultivation and utilisation of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (OFSP) to reach more than 3,000 vulnerable households in the region.
Mr Philippe LeMay, the Chief of Party of USAID RING, announced this at a media conference in Tamale.
More than 1.5 million OFSP vines have so far been nursed and planted this year.
RING, as part of the scale-up strategy, is collaborating with the University for Development Studies (UDS) and the Peace Corps to promote the cultivation and consumption of OFSP known in Dagbanli as “Alaafei Wuljo” in 17 districts in the Region.
RING, funded by the United Stated States Agency for International Development (USAID), is working in 17 districts, amongst others, to improve the nutritional status of women and children.
Mr LeMay said promoting the cultivation, utilisation and consumption of OFSP was an important, timely, and sustainable intervention to help reduce vitamin A deficiency and anemia amongst especially women and children in the Region.
He said in 2015, USAID RING in partnership with UDS, piloted the OFSP initiative amongst women in some households in the Region where nearly 100,000 “Alaafei Wuljo” vines were distributed to 350 women for cultivation.
More than 20,000 kilogrammes of sweet potatoes were harvested from six acres of land.
He said USAID RING and UDS trained the women on OFSP cultivation, harvesting and utilisation for household consumption with the aim of improving complementary feeding for children six-23 months of age.
He, therefore, appealed to all stakeholders, communities and households members to join the “Alaafei Wuljo” movement and improve the nutrition of residents.
A song entitled “Yimiana kati kou,” a Dagbanli phrase meaning: “Come out, Let’s Farm,” composed by three artists based in Tamale to promote the cultivation and consumption of OFSP in the region has been launched and it would be played on radio stations to generate enthusiasm for the initiative.
Source: GNA
