Sweet Potato Crops May Aid in Hunger Relief

Sweet potatoes, which are not yams, are being advocated as a staple food source for developing countries because of their sustainability and their rich vitamin content, and, as stated in a current press release from the American Society for Horticultural Science, the USDA Economic Research Service reported on the International Potato Center's (CIP's) most recent survey of scientists regarding the health of sweet potato production in developing countries.

The sweet potato, which has a strong history in the United States, contains vitamins A, C and B6 besides dietary fiber and starch. Further, sweet potatoes contribute to stabilizing blood sugar levels, which is important for those with hypo- or hyper-glycemia. Sweet potatoes have traditionally been used in some tropical and island areas as a main staple. For example, sweet potatoes have been the main staple food - sometimes the only food - of the aborigines of Papua, New Guinea.

Since it is readily cultivated in tropical climates, and has high nutritional value, many developing countries, especially Sub-Sahara countries, are turning to the sweet potato as a dietary staple. Yet there are problems that they face in production. CIP's survey of knowledgeable scientists in the countries that are adapting their agricultural practices to emphasize the sweet potato was intended to find and define general and country-specific obstacles to fuller success with cultivating the sweet potato.

CIP's survey results reveal a few common key needs that farmers in major sweet potato producing areas face, besides which there are also some needs that related specifically to certain regions. CIP and the Resources and Rural Economics Division of the USDA's Economic Research Service ranked the survey results to establish the top key needs common to sweet potato producing areas. The top shared category reflected the need to control sweet potato viruses. The other three top categories were concerned with better sweet potato processing procedures for the small farmer; better sweet potato planting materials; higher and more stable yield from sweet potato crops.