How Vitamin-enriched crops are changing lives in Marsabit
By Jacob Walter, July 29, 2025In the parched plains of Marsabit County in northern Kenya, where droughts are frequent and hunger is often a companion, a quiet revolution is taking root.
On what was once barren land in Qalaliwe, Moyale sub-county, farmer Salat Guyo now bends over rows of vibrant vines, digging out a tuber the colour of sunset: the orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP).
“This potato is not just food,” Guyo says, brushing off soil with the pride of a man who has reclaimed dignity. “It is medicine.”
Between 2019 and 2022, Marsabit was gripped by one of the worst droughts in its history.
Guyo’s children, like many in the region, suffered from malnutrition.
That changed when he joined a pilot programme promoting OFSP, bio-fortified crops enriched with vitamin A.
Today, his five-acre plot is a fortress against hunger.
Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) remains a silent crisis in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs).
It weakens immune systems, stunts growth, and contributes to blindness and child mortality.
“In Marsabit, hunger is often hidden,” says Duba Nura, a county agriculture officer. “Children may eat, but what they eat lacks the vital nutrients needed to grow healthy.”
That’s where bio-fortification comes in. Instead of relying solely on supplements or fortification in factories, scientists are breeding crops that naturally contain higher levels of essential micronutrients—like vitamin A, iron, and zinc. OFSP is now doing what relief food never could: restoring self-reliance.
At first, however, the community resisted.
Changing perceptions
“People said orange sweet potatoes were strange, even dangerous,” recalls Abdi Noor, an agricultural extension officer.
“In Borana culture, sweet potatoes were believed to make men weak.”
It took cooking demonstrations, media publicity and community health campaigns to bring about change
Funded by the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Potato Centre (CIP), and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO), these interventions gradually demystified the science behind the orange tuber.
Today, OFSP is embraced.
It’s boiled, mashed into porridge, baked into chapati, and served in school meals. More importantly, it’s changing lives.
In the Songa location, Marsabit Central, the Songa Women Self-Help Group has become a model for nutrition-sensitive farming.
“Before OFSP, we waited for relief food,” says chairlady Anne Kasula.
Expectant mothers in the group report improved health. Children in nearby schools eat OFSP mash with porridge.
In Marsabit, Isiolo and Baringo, women form cooperative groups, receive training on vine multiplication and processing, and sell products ranging from OFSP chips to bean flour.
Through small cooperatives, they are processing the crop into flour, chips and other products.
“Now I don’t have to rely on my husband’s livestock,” says Halima, a mother of four. “I have income, I can save, and I feed my children better.”
According to Dr Njeri Muthoni of Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB-Kenya), what is unfolding in Marsabit is not just local success—it’s part of a broader scientific push to combat malnutrition and climate shocks in Africa.
“Biotechnology is no longer something abstract,” she says, “It’s on the plates and in the lives of Kenyan families.”
Rich foods
At the centre of this transformation is a new generation of biofortified crops—nutrient-dense, drought-tolerant, and climate-smart.
Among them is the KC Sweet Purple, a deep-purple sweet potato bred by CIP and KALRO.
With its striking colour and powerful nutrients—including anthocyanins, beta-carotene, and iron—the variety thrives in drylands like Marsabit, Kitui and Makueni.
“It matures quickly, resists pests, and retains colour and flavour after cooking, a bonus for food processors. It’s a game-changer,” says Dr Judith Kariuki of CIP.
Key to the spread of OFSP is the use of Decentralised Vine Multipliers (DVMs), community-level centres that provide clean planting material.
With just 200 vines, a household can plant, harvest, eat, and even sell within four months. One vine cutting yields up to 50 new ones in a single season.
“Each DVM acts like a seed bank and a training centre,” explains WFP’s Marsabit Field Officer, who is also a trained nutritionist, Albert Mwambonu.
Through partnerships with CIP, KALRO, and HarvestPlus, over 300,000 households across Kenya have adopted biofortified crops, including OFSP, iron-rich beans, and zinc-fortified maize.
WFP has introduced varieties such as Kabonde, Vita, Irene, SPK 004, and Ejumla—capable of yielding up to 7.2 tonnes per acre under optimal ASAL conditions. The impact is spreading beyond kitchens into markets.
Golden maize, enriched with provitamin A, is gaining popularity across sub-Saharan Africa. Bred using non-GMO and genomic-assisted techniques, it offers up to 15 ppm of beta-carotene, enough to meet children’s daily vitamin A needs.
“These crops are not genetically modified,” clarifies Dr Joseph Kimani from KALRO. “They are conventionally bred using science and local varieties to meet local nutritional needs.”
These sweet potatoes, along with iron-rich beans, zinc-fortified maize, and a newly released purple-fleshed variety dubbed KC Sweet Purple, are biofortified crops bred to fight hunger from the inside out.
At the heart of the transformation is a fusion of biotechnology and biofortification, using science to breed crops that not only survive harsh climates but also deliver crucial vitamins and minerals to populations who need them most.
By placing nutrition, income, and dignity in the hands of those who need them most, biotechnology is not just saving lives in northern Kenya—it’s rewriting their future.
Micronutrient deficiencies
The newly-released KC Sweet Purple variety, developed by KALRO and the International Potato Centre (CIP), thrives in Kenya’s drylands.
Its deep purple flesh is rich in beta-carotene, iron, zinc, and anthocyanins—potent antioxidants that boost immunity and appeal to both palates and processors.
“We tested it across various regions, from Kitui to Kwale, and found it to be adaptable, nutritious, and marketable,” says Dr Judith Kariuki of CIP.
Regionally, AATF (African Agricultural Technology Foundation) and HarvestPlus promote vitamin A-enriched crops like golden maize and cassava to combat widespread micronutrient deficiencies.
These innovations, backed by biotechnology and strong community engagement, reflect a broader shift toward climate-smart, nutrition-sensitive agriculture.
In counties like Marsabit, they represent more than food—they are lifelines to health, economic empowerment, and a future unburdened by malnutrition.
Golden maize, tested in South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, and Nigeria, is drought-tolerant, high-yielding, and fetches up to 20 per cent higher prices than traditional maize due to its superior nutrition and colour appeal.
The global biofortification movement got a major boost with the publication of international standards for vitamin A levels in crops like maize, cassava, and sweet potato by the British Standards Institution (BSI).
“This clears the path for institutional buying—from schools to hospitals,” says a statement from GAIN (Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition), which co-leads the Commercialisation of Biofortified Crops (CBC) Programme.
The ripple effects of biofortified agriculture are being felt far beyond Marsabit. In Rwanda, iron-rich beans have improved iron levels in women.
In Mozambique and Uganda, OFSP has reduced vitamin A deficiency among children.
In Kenya, these crops are central to government strategies on food security and nutrition.
They feature prominently in school feeding programmes, climate adaptation plans, and county agricultural policies.
“The beauty of biofortification is that it meets people where they are,” says Muthoni. “It doesn’t require behaviour change as much as it enables it—through better, more nutritious food.”
Despite initial scepticism, cultural acceptance is growing.
Through tailored behaviour change communication, farmers now embrace OFSP and its purple cousin.