By Kaitlyn Mekertichian | August 17, 2012

The vitamin-packed spud has the potential to greatly reduce vitamin deficiencies in Uganda.

HarvestPlus, a research group funded by the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research, has released information published in the Journal of Nutrition, which confirms orange sweet potatoes’ ability to significantly improve vitamin A levels. In a study conducted between 2007 and 2009, HarvestPlus distributed orange sweet potato vines to thousands of families in Uganda and found that families who kept and consumed the plant had improved vitamin A levels. Vitamin A deficiency devastates 42 percent of children under the age of five in Africa, Uganda being one of the most stricken nations on the continent. This particular deficiency severely damages eyesight and leads to a weakened immune system.