Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resource Development Board (RAB) has introduced new bio-fortified beans, sweet potatoes, and cassava in Rutsiro and Rubavu districts, Western Province, aiming to combat malnutrition.

The province has the highest prevalence of child stunting in the country with 40 per cent.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), bio-fortification is the process by which the nutrient density of food crops is increased through conventional plant breeding, and/or improved agronomic practices and/or modern biotechnology without sacrificing any characteristic that is preferred by consumers or most importantly to farmers.

Iron-bio-fortified beans, WHO states, "have improved the iron stores in women in Rwanda” and bio-fortified orange sweet potatoes have boosted vitamin A deficiency in children in Mozambique, Uganda, and South Africa.

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Orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) is a new variety being grown and multiplied in Rutsiro and Rubavu as a staple food crop. Cassava rich in carotene is also being introduced in the region.

Speaking to The New Times, Athanase Nduwumuremyi, the coordinator of the Roots and Tubers Program and Senior Scientist at RAB, assured that growing orange-fleshed sweet potatoes as a nutritious variety is an important strategy to improve vitamin A deficiency in many households across Rubavu and Rutsiro districts.

He said: "I encourage people to grow bio-fortified beans, sweet potatoes, and cassava because they are rich in nutrients. This region has high stunting cases and we want to address it using staple food crops that are widely consumed every day,” he said.

For Emmanuel Uwizeyimana, Vice Mayor in charge of Economic Development in Rutsiro, the new orange–flesh sweet potatoes being grown will be one of the measures to address malnutrition and stunting.

He said: "We’re among the districts with high stunting cases and malnutrition in children. Figures show that we’re still behind contrary to our target of 19 per cent. Having a lot of farms with these bio-fortified crops within Rutsiro District will contribute to eradicating malnutrition as 80 per cent are farmers.”

The promotion of bio-fortified crops for smallholder farmers under the ‘Hinga Ukire Project’ in Rutsiro and Rubavu districts towards improving productivity is projected to decrease stunting rate to five per cent among children under five years within four years, according to Belange Uwizeye, Executive Director of Rural Rehabilitation Initiative (RWARRI).

It is estimated that at least 15,525 farmers will receive bio-fortified seeds of beans, sweet potatoes, and cassava. This is expected to boost the yield of the targeted crops by 30 per cent, with cultivation planned on 4,500 ha of beans, 900 ha of cassava, and 810 ha of sweet potatoes.

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Esperance Uwamungu is an ordinary farmer in Mushubati Sector, Rutsiro District. She has already started multiplying the new sweet potato variety seedlings to be able to share them with others, free of charge.

"I will share it with other farmers as a source of vitamin A to help combat stunting in children under five years. And apart from eating them at home, we expect more income as a business,” she added.

Figures by Rwanda Demographic Health Survey (DHS) 2019/2020 showed that stunting declined from 46 per cent in 2015 to 40 per cent in 2020 in Rubavu District, while it dropped to 44.4 per cent in 2020 from 45.1 per cent in 2015 in Rutsiro District. The national goal is to reduce stunting to 19 per cent in 2024.