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Sweetpotato in Sub-Saharan Africa

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The Sweetpotato

Botanically sweetpotato is called Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam and belongs to the morning-glory family (Convolvulaceae) and originated from Latin America. The exact date of arrival of sweetpotato on the continent of Africa is unknown. Evidence indicates that slave traders brought it into the region and since its introduction it has been displacing the true yam in tropical Africa (Davidson, 1999). Given that it has been in the food system for several hundred years, whereas round, Irish, or solanum potato (Solanum tuberosum) was introduced in the late 1800s, sweetpotato is often falsely considered by African farmers to be an indigenous crop and is often referred to as the “local” or “traditional” potato in most Sub-Saharan African countries.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Intenzational Potato Center-Sub-Saharan Africa, Nairobi, Kenya

    J. Low, B. Lemaga, S. Namanda & M. Andrade

  2. Independent Agricultural Economist, Nairobi, Kenya

    J. Lynam

  3. International Potato Center, Peru

    C. Crissman & G. Thiele

  4. International Potato Center, Lima, Peru

    I. Barker

  5. Independent Post-harvest Specialist, New Zealand

    C. Wheatley

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  1. Dept. Virology, Agricultural Research Organization, Bet Degan, Israel

    Gad Loebenstein

  2. Sahrdaya College of Engineering, Teekay Villa, P.O. Karoor Via. Thazhekkad-680697, Trichur Dist.,, Kerala, India

    George Thottappilly

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Low, J. et al. (2009). Sweetpotato in Sub-Saharan Africa. In: Loebenstein, G., Thottappilly, G. (eds) The Sweetpotato. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9475-0_16

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