Description of Challenge
Sweet potato roots are bulky and perishable unless cured. This limits the distance over which sweet potato can be economically transported. Production areas capable of generating surpluses tend to be relatively localized but dispersed, which leads to a lack of market integration and limits market size.Moreover, production is highly seasonal in most countries. Addressing this challenge means improving the sweet potato value chain from farmers to tradersSolution
Challenges also includes post harvest processing or storage. This can lengthen the period for which sweet potato can be marketed but may also be relevant for subsistence oriented households to increase the period over which sweetpotato can be consumed, particularly where there is a marked dry season. Improving the sweetpotato value chain should lead to a linked set of impacts on the livelihoods of the poor including:
1)
Increased income of those selling sweetpotato with particular advantages for women
who often take the lead in managing this crop.
2)
Reduced expenditure on food of those purchasing sweetpotato roots or processed
products; and
3) Enhanced nutrition for those producing and purchasing sweetpotato
