Raised beds for sweet potato production and weed management

Raise tuber yields with raised beds

The raised bed technology provides sweet potatoes with an elevated platform for growth. Instead of planting them directly in the ground, raised beds are created by piling loose soil. This creates a designated area for the plants. This specialized bed prevents the soil from becoming too compact or saturated, which can harm the plants. Additionally, it hinders the growth of weeds, ensuring that the sweet potatoes receive the necessary nutrients. This method is particularly beneficial in areas where the soil quality may be suboptimal. It facilitates better growth for the sweet potatoes and simplifies maintenance for farmers. In straightforward terms, this technology offers sweet potatoes an elevated space to grow, ultimately leading to healthier and more robust crops.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

7•7

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 7/9; level of use 7/9

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

The poor: Positive medium

Under 18: Positive medium

Women: Positive high

Climate adaptability: Moderately adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Biodiversity: No impact on biodiversity

Carbon footprint: A bit less carbon released

Environmental health: Moderately improves environmental health

Soil quality: Improves soil health and fertility

Water use: A bit less water used

Problem

Low sweet potato productivity: Low tuber yields can constrain agricultural production and the contribution of sweet potato to food supply.
Persistent weed pressure: Uncontrolled weeds remain a major constraint to efficient sweet potato production.
Poor soil management: Soil compaction and waterlogging can undermine crop development and productivity.
High labour requirements: Labour-intensive weed control can limit the efficiency of smallholder production systems.
Inefficient water management: Poor drainage and inefficient use of available water can negatively affect crop performance.
Limited land productivity: Inefficient production practices can reduce the productive potential of available agricultural land.

Solution

Increased sweet potato productivity: Raised beds improve the growing environment and support better tuber development.
Improved weed management: The technology provides a practical approach to reducing weed competition and associated labour requirements.
Better soil management: Raised beds reduce the effects of soil compaction and create favorable conditions for crop development.
Improved water management: The elevated structure promotes drainage and reduces the negative effects of waterlogging.
More efficient production systems: Reduced weed-management requirements can improve the efficiency of smallholder production.
Greater land productivity: Improved growing conditions allow available agricultural land to support more productive sweet potato cultivation.

Key points to design your project

This technology of raised beds for sweet potato production and weed management significantly enhances agricultural sustainability and productivity. By optimizing nitrogen management and reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers, it fosters healthier plant growth while promoting ecosystem preservation through effective weed management.

To integrate this technology effectively, several key steps and prerequisites should be considered:

Educating farmers about the benefits of raised beds for sweet potato production and weed management, highlighting improved soil aeration, drainage, and weed control.
Promote access to hand hoe and harrow, or mechanical plow, Procuring mineral fertilizer, compost and chemical control agents (optional), and Supply of mulching litter or plastic sheets (optional)
Selecting suitable sweet potato varieties that thrive in raised bed environments and complementing them with appropriate weed management practices.
Ensuring access to quality planting materials for sweet potatoes, including rooted cuttings or vines.
Providing support for the construction of raised beds and necessary training on their maintenance and management.

For enhanced optimization, it's advisable to associate this technology with other complementary technologies such as Orange-fleshed sweet potato (Bio-fortified, Drought and virus tolerant), Specialty blended fertilizers (high potassium).

IP

Open source / open access

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology's development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology's readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 7 out of 9

Semi-controlled environment: prototype

Level of use 7 out of 9

Common use by projects NOT connected to technology provider

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Algeria	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Angola	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Benin	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Botswana	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Burkina Faso	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Burundi	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Cameroon	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Cape Verde	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Central African Republic	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Chad	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Comoros	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Côte d’Ivoire	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Democratic Republic of the Congo	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Djibouti	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Egypt	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Eritrea	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Eswatini	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Ethiopia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Gabon	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Gambia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Ghana	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Guinea	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Guinea-Bissau	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Kenya	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Libya	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Madagascar	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Malawi	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Mauritania	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Mauritius	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Morocco	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Republic of the Congo	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Rwanda	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Senegal	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Sierra Leone	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Somalia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
South Africa	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
South Sudan	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Togo	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Tunisia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Uganda	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Western Sahara	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Zambia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Zimbabwe	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid
Semiarid
Subhumid
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 2: zero hunger

Goal 13: climate action

Preparation of the Field:
- Till and harrow the field to ensure it is free of weeds and not compacted.
Layout of Raised Beds:
- Create parallel raised beds, spaced approximately 90 centimeters (3 feet) apart.
Building the Raised Beds:
- Heap up loose soil into ridges, creating beds that are about 30 centimeters (1 foot) high.
- Flatten the tops of the beds, providing a stable surface for planting.
Planting Sweet Potatoes:
- Place rooted cuttings and vines at the desired spacing on the flattened tops of the raised beds.
Maintenance and Care:
- Monitor the plants for signs of pests or diseases and take appropriate action if needed.
- Water as necessary to maintain proper soil moisture levels.
Mulching (Optional):
- Consider covering the raised beds with mulch (crop litter) or plastic sheets. This further helps in moisture retention and weed control.
Harvesting:
- Harvest sweet potatoes once they have reached maturity, typically indicated by the vines starting to yellow and wither.