Abstract:
Uganda is the largest producer of sweetpotato in Africa. Sweetpotato is an important crop that fits well in the country's farming and food systems. In cultivated area, sweetpotato ranks third after bananas and cassava. It stores well in the soil as a famine reserve crop, withstands extreme weather conditions, and performs well in marginal soils. Because sweetpotato is grown in virtually all areas of the country, it plays an important role in providing household food security. In some households, sweetpotato generates cash income in addition to being a food source. A typical household owns a sweetpotato plot of less than one acre and cultivates more than five varieties, each identified by a name in the local language. Most varieties have different maturation periods, indicative of farmers' desires for a year-round supply of sweetpotato.