OFSP conspicuous by their absence in a Nairobi supermarket.I said yesterday that orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (OFSP) were all the rage in early August, and I wanted today to provide the evidence. HarvestPlus mounted a well-coordinated and extremely effective media blitz. In addition to regular posts on Facebook and Twitter, there was a press release, an infographic and a brief. This all really paid off in terms of coverage. In particular, hardly a piece on the Global Hunger Event organized by the UK Prime Minister David Cameron to cement the legacy of the Olympics failed to mention OFSP. I don’t begrudge them this: OFSP are important .
The wife tucks into an OFSP grown by her mother.But mostly missing among all the hoopla, alas, was any reference to the diversity of sweet potatoes available in the world’s genebanks, including as regards colour and nutrient content. And the possible effect of introducing these new varieties on the old ones still in farmers’ fields, and perhaps not yet safeguarded in said genebanks.
One Reply to “OFSP steal the show”