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The principal selection objective in crop breeding has for a long time been driven by agronomic gains like yield maximization and climate resilience. Nevertheless, the continued low adoption of new varieties and documented gender technology adoption gap has triggered re‐thinking of this strategy, with end‐user acceptability of released varieties a key strategy in breeding objectives. Using a mixed‐methods approach with a survey of 122 producers and focus group discussions with 200 male and female producers in two major sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas(L.) Lam] producing districts in Uganda, this study set out to understand gender‐disaggregated traits that drive acceptance for improved sweetpotato varieties as a guide to development of new varieties in the region. A generalized structural equation model approach is used to analyze how interrelated trait preferences shape acceptance for improved varieties, while in‐depth insights from a qualitative approach are used to further ground observed results. Traits such as high root yields, drought tolerance, and vitamin A are shown to be key drivers to acceptance of improved varieties, while good taste and dry matter content dampen acceptance of improved varieties in favor of landraces. Male farmers are also shown to mainly prefer agronomic traits such as high yields and stress tolerance, while women mostly prefer quality traits such as good taste, vitamin A, and high dry matter content. To achieve higher acceptability and adoption of improved varieties across the gender divide, new varieties need to not only consider agronomic gains, but also quality‐related traits such as taste and dry matter content. End‐user acceptability is critical in crop breeding for adoption at scale of new released varieties.Quality traits are important for variety acceptance and need to be prioritized in variety breeding.For inclusive impacts, breeding programs need to consider gender implications of new varieties.

Malnutrition continues to affect many vulnerable populations worldwide, with the majority of these residing in developing and underdeveloped countries. This problem has been exacerbated by the changing climate and more recently by the COVID-19 pandemic. Urgent efforts geared towards enhancing sustainable production and value chains of nutritious foods to ensure access to healthier diets are therefore critical. A recent partnership between the World Food Programme and the International Potato Center to enhance utilization of biofortified crops in fragile environments in Kenya is a step in this direction, aimed at improving the diets of households at risk of hunger and malnutrition. This study sets out to provide early evidence on the potential impacts of the interventions spearheaded in this partnership, together with lessons for further scaling efforts. Using household level data, the study adopts an impact evaluation framework to understand the effect of nutrition awareness through the dissemination of information on Vitamin A deficiency, on the utilization of orange fleshed sweetpotato, a biofortified crop rich in Vitamin A. Results show positive and significant effects of nutrition awareness on utilization of the orange-fleshed sweetpotato. Several factors were also identified as key to determining the exposure to nutrition awareness, including proximity to markets and extension agents, gender, and education levels. For widespread and inclusive adoption and utilization of orange-fleshed sweetpotato, out-scaling efforts need to consider these determinants in designing interventions aimed at raising nutrition awareness, as a key entry point to enhancing utilization of orange-fleshed sweetpotato.