NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Saturday, July 30, 2016

[KAMPALA] Four scientists — three of them in Africa — have won US $250,000 for combined success in improving nutrition and health through combating vitamin A deficiency in vulnerable populations.

Kenneth M. Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation, announced last month (28 June), that the 2016 World Food Prize will be awarded to them. The award indicates the need for investing in agricultural research to improve the livelihood of the poor, said Quinn, in a statement.

Maria Andrade and Robert Mwanga, working for the International Potato Center (CIP), have bred the Vitamin A-enriched orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), which has contributed to averting blindness.

The other winner, Jan Low, who is based in Kenya, is the project manager of the Sweet potato Action for Security and Health in Africa (SASHA) project for the CIP. SASHA advocates for use of a proven integrated agriculture and nutrition approach in Sub-Sharan Africa.