ORMASP

The orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) is rich in β-​carotene and other essential micronutrients which can help to fight vitamin A deficiency and malnutrition.The project aims to investigate and introduce organic management practices to smallholding farmers in Mozambique as strategies to build up soil fertility and with that increase the productivity and sustain nutritional value the OFSP. The main outcome goal from this research will be empowerment of Mozambican growers with farmer-​available resources and techniques.

Families in Mozambique can benefit from the introduction of orange-​fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), rich in β-carotene and other essential micronutrients to fight vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and malnutrition. However, a continuous cultivation without soil nutrient replenishment, OFSP will lead to a decline in soil fertility. Sustaining OFSP success requires the adoption of sustainable agroecological systems to supply OFSP with its required high demand of soil nutrients. In collaboration with the International Potato Center, we will investigate and introduce organic management practices to smallholding farmers as strategies to build up soil fertility, increase productivity, and sustain nutritional value of OFSP. We will (i) determine the potential of different organic resources to meet the high nutrient requirements of OFSP, especially potassium; (ii) innovative intercropping strategies with leguminous species to maximize crop production, N supply, as well as efficiency of resource utilization; and (iii) provide a detailed investigation on soil microbial activity to determine nutrient cycling in improved OFSP systems. The main outcome from this research will be empowerment of Mozambican growers with farmer-​available resources and techniques, such as locally sourced organic fertilizers and innovative intercropping strategies to safeguard crop production and the nutritional value of OFSP. Additionally, an important benefit from this research will be to obtain a case study on how organic management performs in a system with high nutrient demands and include it in the curriculum of courses for B.Sc. and M.Sc. students at ETH.