Reaching Agents of Change Project: Successes, lessons and recommendations. Ex-post evaluation report

Abstract

The ex-post evaluation assessed the experiences, achievements and lessons from the Reaching Agents of Change (RAC) project in its three primary countries of operation, namely Mozambique, Tanzania and Nigeria. RAC was a collaborative project implemented between April 2011 and August 2015, and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The goal of the project was to contribute to the efforts to reduce vitamin A deficiency (VAD) through policy reforms, advocacy for new investments, and capacity development. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a critical and a widespread public health problem. CIP proved the concept that consumption and scaling up of biofortified orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) is an effective strategy for reducing VAD in children

Analysis of the evaluation data shows that CIP, along with its partners, has succeeded in proving that modest amounts of OFSP consumed by children could reduce the prevalence of VAD and that farmers, but largely women, would maintain sweetpotato vines for planting and grow OFSP for consumption and local markets. For this achievement CIP and HarvestPlus shared the 2016 World Food Prize