Sweet Potato technologies Toolkit

This toolkit is a collection of technologies designed to optimize sweet potato cultivation across Africa. These technologies have been selected to address the challenges encountered in sweet potato production and transformation, ensuring a more resilient and profitable sweet potato sector. By integrating these technologies into your projects or business plans, you can maximize yields while minimizing environmental impacts and reducing labor intensity. Each technology in the toolkit comes with the option to receive technical support, ensuring effective and sustainable implementation.

11 results

Trace: FairFood Traceability Solutions

Easy-to-use solution for food traceability Fairfood offers advanced tracking solutions through Trace technology, enabling agricultural and food-related companies to transparently showcase the exact origins of their products. This technology empowers companies to openly provide evidence supporting claims of product sustainability, facilitating transparency and accountability. Whether through public disclosure or inclusion on product packaging, Trace technology enhances trust by giving consumers verifiable insights into the journey and sustainability practices associated with the products they choose.


Government Pre-validated 9•7 2

Purple Antioxidant Potatoes: Purple-fleshed sweet potato (high in antioxidants)

Sustain Your Health with Purple Potato The purple-fleshed sweet potatoes (PFSP) technology is an improved variety newly introduce into African farming systems and markets. These PFSP varieties have significantly higher antioxidant activity compared to white or yellow sweet potatoes. They play a crucial role in improving dietary balance, addressing vitamin deficiencies common in underserved communities, and promoting overall health across different age groups, from early childhood development to supporting the health and vitality of adolescents and the elderly.


Government Validated (TAAT1) 8•8 2 Cost: $$$ ROI: $$$

Specialty blended fertilizers for root and tuber crops

Special fertilizer for root and tuber crops The technology "Specialty Blended Fertilizers for Root and Tuber Crops", plays a pivotal role in enhancing the growth, productivity, and resilience of tuber and root crops like sweetpotato and cassava. These specially designed fertilizers provide a balanced mix of essential nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur, addressing deficiencies commonly found in soils across Sub-Saharan Africa. By applying the right nutrient blends at the appropriate time and location, these fertilizers significantly improve tuber quality, crop yield, and the plants' ability to withstand drought, pests, and diseases.


Government Validated (TAAT1) 6•6 1

Relay intercropping of sweet potato with legumes

Harvest More, Worry Less with Sweet Potato-Legume Relay Intercropping Relay intercropping of sweet potato with legumes revolutionizes agriculture by increasing yields, optimizing land and resource use, and reducing pest damage. This method enhances soil nitrogen availability, promoting sweet potato tuber production while reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizers. It not only ensures a more nutritious diet for subsistence farmers but also safeguards against food shortages during crop failures caused by drought or pests.


Government Validated (TAAT1) 8•8 4

Silage production from sweet potato vines and tubers

Fodder Enrichment for Thriving Livestock The technology of silage production from sweet potato vines and tubers plays a pivotal role in sustainable agriculture by converting leftover plant material into high-quality animal fodder. It addresses the challenges of resource wastage under unfavorable environmental conditions and contributes to bridging gaps in animal feed availability for farmers. Silage enhances feed digestibility, preserves essential nutrients, and significantly benefits the growth and well-being of ruminants and pigs, making it a valuable asset in modern agriculture.


Government Validated (TAAT1) 7•8 2

Raised beds for sweet potato production and weed management

Raise tuber yields with raised beds The raised bed technology for sweet potato production involves elevating soil beds above the surface. These beds, constructed by heaping up loosened soil, create optimal conditions for sweet potato growth. They prevent soil compaction and waterlogging, which can hinder crop development and promote soil-borne diseases. By placing sweet potato crops on these raised beds, farmers effectively reduce weed encroachment throughout the growing season. This method proves highly beneficial in various agro-ecosystems, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where it enhances yields and minimizes labour-intensive weed management. Additionally, raised beds promote efficient water drainage, making them adaptable to different rainfall conditions. Overall, this technology provides a fundamental foundation for successful sweet potato cultivation.


Government Validated (TAAT1) 7•7 2 Cost: $$$

Tent-style greenhouse for multiplication of sweet potato vines and cuttings

Greenhouse Solutions for Thriving Sweet Potato Farms The tent-style greenhouse is an innovative, cost-effective solution designed for the multiplication of sweet potato vines and cuttings. It utilizes screen nets and locally available materials to create a pest-free environment optimal for growth. This technology ensures the availability of high-quality, pathogen-free planting material, thereby enhancing the yield and resilience of sweet potato crops. It’s a beneficial tool for both small-scale and commercial farmers.


Government Validated (TAAT1) 8•9 4 Cost: $$$ ROI: $$$

Drought and Virus Tolerant Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato

Resilient and Nutrient-Rich OFSP for Better Agriculture The technology of "Drought and Virus Tolerant Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato" holds paramount significance in Sub-Saharan Africa. It addresses critical agricultural challenges by providing cultivars of orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) tailored to combat drought, heat stress, and viral infections. These specially bred OFSP varieties offer rapid harvest maturity, completing their growth cycle within 90 days, which is particularly beneficial in regions with uncertain rainfall patterns towards the end of the growing season. Furthermore, the introduction of OFSP varieties resistant to a range of viruses and destructive insects has significantly bolstered crop resilience. This technology not only enhances food security but also contributes to economic sustainability for communities in the region.


Government Validated (TAAT1) 7•7 3 Cost: $$$ ROI: $$$

OFSP: Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (High provitamin A)

Orange Sweetness, Nutrient Richness, and Farmer's Success - Embrace OFSP! Improved orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) varieties, developed for African farming, boast increased beta-carotene, virus and drought resistance, and high yields. OFSP enhances nutritional security, particularly addressing vitamin A deficiency. It is a versatile staple with applications in various products and animal feed.


Government Validated (TAAT1) 8•9 3 Cost: $$$

OFSP puree and products: Puree Production and Products for Sweet Potato

Effortless sweet potato puree, every time! Puree production and products for orange fresh sweet potato (OFSP) technology involves processing sweet potato tubers into a versatile puree that offers numerous benefits. By converting fresh tubers into puree, the shelf life is extended, enabling year-round availability. This process can be carried out using common small-scale food processing equipment and vacuum-packed storage technology with preservatives, ensuring the puree remains stable for up to four months. The resulting puree can be used as a nutritious ingredient in a variety of baked and fried products, as well as concentrated foods like baby food and smoothies. Additionally, OFSP puree is rich in pro-vitamin A, enhancing the nutritional value of the end-products. The process itself is relatively simple, involving steps such as cleaning, steaming, peeling, and mashing the sweet potato flesh. Overall, OFSP puree technology presents an accessible and beneficial solution for adding nutritional value and commercial viability to food products.


Government Validated (TAAT1) 8•8 2

Community-based multiplication of sweet potato vines and cuttings

Boost Your Yield and Cut Costs with Community-Sourced Sweet Potato Vines. The technology, "Community-based Multiplication of Sweet Potato Vines and Cuttings," aims to enhance the availability, quality, and accessibility of sweet potato planting material in rural communities. It employs a community-based approach to multiply vines and cuttings on a medium to large scale. This not only improves the quality control of planting materials but also reduces their retail prices. The approach is particularly beneficial for smallholder farmers with limited infrastructure and market access. By involving agricultural specialists and leveraging community investments, the technology enables better maintenance of hybrid and resistant crop varieties and offers protection against pests and diseases. Overall, it provides a more reliable and cost-effective supply chain for sweet potato planting materials, leading to increased crop yield and resilience.


Government Validated (TAAT1) 5•5 3 Cost: $$$