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tum programs specify a time period afterdelivery within which dosing must occur.Current IVACG guidelines define this periodas six weeks, but only two of the presentationsspecifically referenced this limit.Seven presentations specified only “in theearly postpartum period,” six presentationsmentioned various periods specified indays, weeks, or months after delivery, andone made no mention of a time period at all.The summary of the Annecy Accords,which was distributed to all participantsand is available from the IVACG Secretariat,contains clear guidelines that should proveuseful to supervisors of postpartum supplementationprograms.Coverage data were presented for ten of theprograms mentioned, and these also showwide variation. The data are difficult tointerpret because most reports do notspecify the denominator used in making theestimates — for example, whether allwomen giving birth are included or onlythose who delivered in health facilities.Despite such uncertainties, it is clear thatcoverage was low: only three programsreported coverage greater than 50%.Dietary approachesChoosing your foodInterventions that promote the productionand consumption of foods rich in micronutrientshave several advantages over othertypes of programs. They often improvedietary quality beyond increases in the targetnutrient, contribute to food security andfamily income, and empower women.Presentations described a wide variety ofwork being undertaken on this approach.Wednesday’s morning session includedpresentations on an in vitro model forassessing the bioavailability of carotenoidsin fruit and vegetables, the integration ofanimal husbandry into home gardening, andthe dissemination of orange-fleshed sweetpotato in East and Southern Africa.Ms. Generose Mulokozi, of the ChalmersUniversity of Technology, in Gothenburg,Sweden, reported on work in Tanzaniausing an in vitro model for estimating“bioaccessibility” as a proxy forbioavailability of provitamin A carotenoidsin vegetables and fruits (W53). She reportedhigh variability in the composition of thetested foods. In vitro accessible all-transbeta-carotene varied between 7% and 100%in fruits and between 4% and 15% in leafyvegetables cooked without oil. The betacarotenein vegetables cooked with oil wastwo to five times more accessible than thatin vegetables cooked without oil. Greatvariability in accessibility was also notedbetween different varieties of the same fruit.Mr. Aminuzzaman Talukder, of Helen KellerInternational, in Kathmandu, Nepal, describedrecent developments in initiativespromoting home gardening in Bangladesh,Cambodia, and Nepal (W54). In December2001, poultry, dairy cow, and fish productionwere introduced into ongoing homegardening activities in Bangladesh. Poultryproduction alone was introduced in Cambodiaand Nepal. Results from the poultrycomponents were presented. Data collectedafter one year showed progress in householdsthat had adopted the intervention.Income increased, and egg and liver consumptionrose substantially from baselinelevels. Reports that the money earned frompoultry production was spent predominantlyon food were also encouraging. Mr.Talukder concluded that integration ofanimal husbandry with existing gardeningprograms has been relatively easily achievedso far and has resulted in increased consumptionof dietary sources of vitamin Aand other micronutrients.Dr. Jan Low, of Michigan State University, inEast Lansing, Michigan (USA), provided anupdate on the potential impact of betacarotene-richsweet potatoes on vitamin Aintake in sub-Saharan Africa (W55). Whilethe high nutrient content of these newcultivars is of great interest to nutritionists,subsistence farmers are adopting thembecause they offer high yields and have anattractive taste and texture. Working withthe International Potato Center and plantbreeders in African research institutions,Low and colleagues have released 31 betacarotene-richvarieties with the low tomedium dry-matter content preferred bychildren. More recently, 40 new varietieswith the high dry-matter content preferredby adults in this region have been identified,and clones are being multiplied at thistime for field experimentation. Beta-carotenerichsweet potatoes have some majoradvantages as a vitamin A intervention.Sweet potatoes are a secondary staple in theregion, and farmers are more likely to trynew cultivars of a familiar crop than toadopt a new crop. Sweet potatoes are alsorelatively easy to grow, an attribute thatcarries special appeal for populationsbroadly affected by HIV/AIDS and othercircumstances that can disrupt labor.34 XXI IVACG MEETING