The development and scaling of orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) during the past 25 years is a case study of a disruptive innovation to address a pressing need – the high levels of vitamin A deficiency among children under five years of age in sub-Saharan Africa. When the innovation was introduced consumers strongly preferred white or yellow-fleshed sweetpotato, so it was necessary to create a demand to respond to that need. This was at odds with the breeding strategy of responding to consumers’ demands. Additional elements of the innovation package include seed systems and nutrition education to create the awareness amongst consumers of the significant health benefits of OFSP. Complementary innovation is required in promotion and advocacy to ensure a supportive institutional environment. Four dimensions-- technical, organizational, leadership, and institutional environment-- are explored across five distinct phases of the innovation process, from the emergence of the innovative idea (1991–1996) through scaling phase in 15 countries under a major institutional innovation (2015-mid-2019), the Sweetpotato for Profit and Health Initiative (SPHI). Systematically gathering evidence of nutritional impact and ability to scale cost-effectively was requisite for obtaining support for further development and diffusion of the crop. Positive findings from a major study coincided with a major change in the institutional environment which placed agriculture and nutrition at the forefront of the development agenda, resulting in an inflection point in both research and diffusion investment. The role of committed leadership during all phases was critical for success, but particularly during the first decade of limited support in a challenging institutional environment. The most critical technical achievement underpinning scaling was moving from 2 to 13 African countries having local breeding programs. Evidence is presented that adapted, well performing varieties which consumers prefer is the foundation for successful scaling to occur. Building a cadre of within country and regional advocates was critical for getting sustained commitment and local buy-in to the concept of biofortification by regional bodies and governments, which in turn built within country ownership and the willingness of donors to invest. The SPHI united diverse organizations under a common vision with a simple metric--- the number of households reached with improved varieties of sweetpotato. Since 2009, 6.2 million households were reached by July 2019 in 15 SSA countries. Much more remains to be done. Advocacy efforts led to the integration of nutritious foods into many national and regional policies, setting the stage for further investment.

中文翻译：

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了解创新：非洲主要粮食系统中橙肉甘薯的开发和规模化


过去 25 年中橙肉甘薯 (OFSP) 的开发和规模化是一项颠覆性创新的案例研究，旨在解决撒哈拉以南非洲五岁以下儿童维生素 A 严重缺乏的迫切需求。当创新被引入时，消费者强烈喜欢白色或黄色肉质的甘薯，因此有必要创造一种需求来满足这种需求。这与响应消费者需求的育种策略不一致。创新方案的其他要素包括种子系统和营养教育，以提高消费者对 OFSP 显着健康益处的认识。推广和倡导方面需要补充创新，以确保支持性的制度环境。四个维度——技术、组织、领导力和制度环境——在创新过程的五个不同阶段进行了探索，从创新理念的出现（1991-1996）到15个国家在重大制度创新下的扩展阶段（ 2015 年至 2019 年中），甘薯利润与健康倡议 (SPHI)。系统地收集营养影响的证据和经济有效地扩大规模的能力对于获得进一步开发和推广作物的支持是必要的。一项重大研究的积极结果与制度环境的重大变化同时发生，将农业和营养置于发展议程的最前沿，导致研究和扩散投资出现拐点。在所有阶段，坚定的领导作用对于成功至关重要，尤其是在充满挑战的制度环境中提供有限支持的第一个十年。 支持规模化的最关键技术成就是拥有当地育种计划的非洲国家从 2 个增加到 13 个。有证据表明，消费者喜欢的适应性强、性能良好的品种是成功扩大规模的基础。建立一支国内和区域倡导者队伍对于区域机构和政府对生物强化概念的持续承诺和当地接受至关重要，这反过来又增强了国家自主权和捐助者的投资意愿。 SPHI 将不同的组织团结在一个共同的愿景下，并通过一个简单的指标——获得改良甘薯品种的家庭数量。自 2009 年以来，截至 2019 年 7 月，已覆盖 15 个撒哈拉以南非洲国家的 620 万家庭。还有很多工作要做。宣传工作将营养食品纳入许多国家和地区政策，为进一步投资奠定了基础。