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.