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 yields: Poor tuber development can limit the productivity and economic benefits generated by sweet potato production.
High weed pressure: Uncontrolled weeds reduce crop performance and increase the labour needed for crop management.
Soil compaction: Compacted soils can restrict root and tuber development.
Waterlogging: Poor drainage can create unfavorable conditions for sweet potato growth.
Labour-intensive management: Manual weed control can increase the workload of smallholder farmers.
Limited production efficiency: Conventional planting systems may not optimize soil structure, water management and land productivity.

Solution

Higher sweet potato productivity: Raised beds provide favorable conditions for tuber development and support improved crop performance.
Improved weed management: The technology reduces weed competition and facilitates more efficient crop maintenance.
Better soil conditions: Raised beds reduce soil compaction and improve the physical environment for root and tuber development.
Improved drainage: The elevated planting structure helps manage excess water and reduces waterlogging-related constraints.
Reduced labour burden: Improved weed management can reduce the resources required for manual weeding.
Adaptable production approach: Raised beds can be used across suitable agro-ecological zones and adapted to different production conditions.

Key points to design your program

Raised Beds for Sweet Potato Production and Weed Management is a sustainable crop management technology that improves sweet potato productivity by enhancing soil structure, reducing weed pressure, improving drainage, and creating favorable conditions for tuber development. The technology can be integrated into sweet potato value chain development, food security, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable crop production programs to increase yields and strengthen crop resilience. Its adoption contributes to SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger) and 13 (Climate Action).

To integrate this technology into your project, plan and budget for the following activities and prerequisites:

Assess soil conditions, weed pressure, agroecological suitability, and sweet potato production systems in target areas.
Establish partnerships with International Potato Center (CIP), national agricultural research and extension services, producer organizations, input suppliers, and other sweet potato value chain stakeholders to support technology dissemination and scaling.
Facilitate access to quality sweet potato planting materials, hand hoes or mechanical plows, fertilizers or compost, and mulching materials required for raised-bed production.
Implement demonstration plots and training for farmers, cooperatives, women's groups, youth enterprises, and extension agents on raised-bed construction, crop establishment, weed management, and good agronomic practices.
Support extension and dissemination activities to promote the adoption of raised-bed production systems.
Promote the participation of women, youth, and smallholder farmers in sweet potato production and technology adoption activities.
Implement monitoring, learning, and inclusion activities throughout the project lifecycle.
Track key indicators such as sweet potato yields, weed pressure, farmer adoption rates, tuber quality, labor savings, and household income.

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.