Crop Trust 180d ago

The Darwin Initiative–funded Sweetpotato Project successfully safeguarded and revitalized sweetpotato diversity from farmers' fields in Madagascar and Zambia. Over the course of three years, through a community-driven "Clean & Share" model, clean and healthy sweetpotato vines were returned to farmers, helping families improve food security, strengthen livelihoods, and build resilience. These vines now thrive in local fields, while cryopreserved sweetpotato samples secured at the International Potato Center in Lima serve as a global backup. The project delivered lasting benefits to hundreds of farming households, reinforced conservation systems from farm to genebank and demonstrated how crop diversity conservation can work hand-in-hand with sustainable agriculture and nutrition. The Sweetpotato Project proved to be a successful model for conserving and using plant genetic resources, strengthening food systems and ensuring resilient, nutritious crops in farmers' hands. Learn more: https://www.croptrust.org/what-we-do/projects/darwin-initiative-funded-sweetpotato-project/