Important This module is designed to potentially serve

Important! • This module is designed to potentially serve a wide variety of audiences (nutritionists and agronomists, policymakers, extension workers, farmers). • Not all of the material will be relevant to all audiences. • Please refer to the accompanying Facilitator’s Guide for guidance on how to adapt these materials to your audience and facilitation best practices. 1

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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sweetpotato Topic 2: The Origin and Importance of Sweetpotato

The Origin and Importance of Sweetpotato Introduction 5

Welcome During this session, we will examine where Sweetpotato comes from and why this is important. 6

Unit 1 Where Does Sweetpotato Come From? 7

Objectives By the end of this unit, you should be able to: • Tell why it is challenging to trace the exact history of crop plant species • Name where and when sweetpotato was domesticated • Describe where, when, and how sweetpotato spread across the world 8

Sweetpotato Origin • Human agency and natural selection affected history of sweetpotato − Farmers select, use, exchange, transport crops • Domesticated 5, 000 years ago in Central America − Traced by genetic markers, oral/ written histories 9

Spread of Sweetpotato Across the World 8000 BC 1000 BC Sweetpotato present in Peru Cultivated in Peru Staple all over tropical America, Caribbean 13 th Century AD Taken west to Easter Island Hawaii 14 th Century AD Transported to Pacific Islands and New Zealand Spanish explorers took from Mexico to Philippines, Spain From Philippines to East Indies and India Imported into China as food security crop during famine Portuguese traders and slave traders took to Africa and India British took from India to East Africa Spread from China to Japan Early 16 th Century AD Late 16 th Century AD 18 th Century AD 10

Spread of Sweetpotato Cultivation from Peru to the Pacific islands, overland across tropical America, to the Philippines and Spain, and on to Africa and India 11

Quick Review 1. If you lived in Sub-Saharan Africa in the year 1300 AD, would you have access to sweetpotato? 2. Where did sweetpotato originate? 12

Key Points • Human agency and natural selection both affected the history of the sweetpotato. • Sweetpotato originated in tropical America. • The plant was domesticated about 5, 000 years ago. • Beginning in the 13 th century, sweetpotato began to spread west throughout the Pacific. • In the 16 th century, sweetpotato spread east across the Atlantic to Africa and Spain. 13

Unit 2 Where is Sweetpotato Produced and How Is It Used? 14

Objectives By the end of this unit, you should be able to: • Describe the family tree and physical properties of the sweetpotato plant. • Tell whether sweetpotato is considered a root crop or a tuber crop, and why. • Compare the relative importance of sweetpotato and other food crops in different parts of the world. • Explain the different uses of sweetpotato in industry, food, and medicine. • List the ways sweetpotato is processed for food. • List some of the factors that affect sweetpotato yield in different areas. 15

Global Importance • Seventh most important food crop • 8 million hectares grown (95% developing countries) 16 • Staple food in many places − China top producer − Particularly important in Africa

Sweetpotato Family • Scientific name Ipomoea batatas • Starchy root of a vine of the Convolvulaceae family • 600+ species in genus Ipomoea − 13 in section Batatas • Sweetpotato only species cultivated and only one which is hexaploid (6 x =90) • Staple food in many places, but often must compete with other root and tuber crops − Not closely related to yams or Irish (round) potatoes. 17

Other Root/Tuber Crops • Sweetpotato is a root crop • Not closely related to yams or Irish (round) potatoes (tuber crops) 18 • Sweetpotato often must compete with other root and tuber crops for cultivation area

Roots vs. Tuber Crops Root Crop • Internal and external cell structures of typical roots • No nodes, internodes or buds 19 Tuber Crop • Modified stem (stolon or runner) • Thickens to become specialised swollen stem for use as storage organ • Will have all normal parts of stem, including nodes and internodes

Varieties of Sweetpotato • Sweetpotato variety (cultivar) - group of sweetpotato plants − Genetically distinct − Differ in certain characteristics from other groups of sweetpotato plants • Outside skin may be white, yellow, red, purple or brown • Flesh may be white, yellow, orange or purple • Range of tastes and textures 20

The Different Uses of Sweetpotato • Food − Boil − Roast − Mash − Flour (noodles) − Fermented (alcohol) • Animal feed − Fresh − Silage − Cooked − Dried 21 • Industrial − Dye − Starch • Medical Uses − Used to produce edible vaccines (genetically modified)

Agronomic Factors • Yield varies by area • Requires minimal care • Does not require − Fertilisers − Irrigation • Grows in varying − Altitudes − Temperatures − Planting seasons − Harvest time 22

Quick Review 1. What are three main uses of sweetpotato? 2. Is sweetpotato a root crop or a tuber crop? How do we know this? 3. Describe different skin and flesh colours of sweetpotatos. 23

Key points • Sweetpotato is not closely related to either yams or Irish (round) potatoes. • The many different varieties of sweetpotato are called cultivars. • Sweetpotato is the seventh most important food crop worldwide. • 95 percent of sweetpotatoes are grown in developing countries. • Sweetpotato is among the staple foods in many places, but it often must compete with other root and tuber crops. • Sweetpotato is cooked and preserved in many ways; it is even dried into noodles and fermented for alcohol. • The industrial uses of the plant include dyes and starch. • Sweetpotatoes are also used to produce edible vaccines. • Due to a variety of factors and barriers, the plants have greater or poorer yields in different regions. 24

Unit 3 What Trends Are Affecting Sweetpotato Production and Use? 25

Objectives By the end of this unit, you should be able to: • Give several reasons why root and tuber crops are becoming prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa. • Explain why sweetpotato is a healthy, nutritionally valuable food. • Describe the health benefits of a diet that includes sweetpotato. 26

Root & Tuber Crops in SSA Effects of Urbanisation • Decline in cultivable land • Increasing population Advantages of OFSP • High yield • Low − Labour requirement − Cost − Risk 27

Sweetpotato Benefits • Income for farmers • Multiple food sources − Root − Vine − Leaves 28

Sweetpotato Benefits (cont. ) • High nutrition − Vitamins A, C, E, B − Iron − Zinc − Potassium − Fiber • Alternative to flour for consumers who cannot tolerate grains 29

Health Benefits • Disease preventing properties − Anti-carcinogenic − Cardiovascular 30 • Beta-carotene controls Vitamin A deficiencies • Fights childhood blindness (Xerophthalmia)

Quick Review 1. What are the agricultural advantages of sweetpotato? 2. What are some of the health benefits of sweetpotato? 31

Key Points • As Sub-Saharan Africa urbanizes, market-oriented agriculture will continue to drive sweetpotato production. • Sweetpotato contains many key nutrients and can be eaten by consumers who cannot tolerate grains. • The beta-carotene in orange-fleshed sweetpotato varieties (OFSP) is crucial to controlling Vitamin A deficiencies. Health problems impacted by Vitamin A include dry eye, which causes blindness and death in children. 32

Unit 4 Why Promote Sweetpotato? 33

Objectives By the end of this unit, you should be able to: • Name the major demographics who are growers of sweetpotato in Sub-Saharan Africa. • Explain how investing in sweetpotato programs can help those impacted by poverty or malnutrition. • List the opportunities for improvement in sweet potato cultivation and utilization. • Tell how gender issues and sweetpotato interact. • Describe CIP’s strategies for improved sweetpotato production and utilization. 34

Sweetpotato and Poverty • One of most widely grown root crops in Sub -Saharan Africa − Around 3. 2 million hectares − Estimated production of 13. 4 million tons of roots • Investment will directly benefit poor through improved incomes and nutritional status 35

Sweetpotato and Malnutrition Overlap between areas where sweetpotato is cultivated and areas of human malnutrition. Lib eria Gh Nig ana eria Ken ya Ang ola Ug and a Mozam Tanz biqueania 36 Ethi opia

Gender and Sweetpotato Production • Sweetpotato typically grown by poor smallholder farmers, particularly women. • Gender issues contribute to low yields due to: − Production resource constraints − Limited access to • Technologies • Education • Financial services − Lack of decision-making powers • As the crop becomes increasingly commercialized, need strategies to ensure gender equitable commercialization. 37

Gender and Sweetpotato Nutrition • Women are nutritional decision-makers • Programs focusing on women and sweetpotato can improve: − Child and maternal health − Women’s income − Household nutrition 38

Opportunities for Improvement Major food plant in Sub-Saharan Africa, but there are opportunities to improve production and utilisation • Increase crop yields • Introduce more nutrient dense cultivars 39

Opportunities for Improvement CIP strategies for sweetpotato production and utilization include: • Genetic enhancement • Crop and seed management • Improving farming • Targeting policies and research 40

Benefits of Improved Production • • 41 Poverty reduction Income generation Food and nutrition security Sustainable ecosystems

CIP and Sweetpotato • Within SSA, CIP focuses on 17 countries which produce 95% of sweetpotato. 42

CIP’s Strategy • Collect, Conserve and Characterize Sweetpotato Germplasm • Add Value to That Germplasm Through Genetic Enhancement and Crop Improvement • Improve Productivity Through Crop Protection, Crop Management and Better Seed • Reduce Vulnerability in A Changing World Through Sustainable Intensification of Sweetpotato Systems • Strengthen the Positive and Reduce the Negative Impacts of Food and Farming on Human Health • Identify and Target Priorities and Provide Policy Relevant Research • Support Sweetpotato Sector Development 43

Quick Review 1. As one of the most widely grown root crops in Sub-Saharan Africa, about how much ground is used to grow the crop? 2. What benefits could be seen by enhancing sweetpotato production and utilisation in Sub-Saharan Africa? 3. Why is a focus on women important to household nutrition? 44

Key Points • Sweetpotato is already a major food plant in Sub-Saharan Africa, but there are opportunities to improve crop yields and introduce more nutrient dense cultivars. • Sweetpotato cultivation areas overlap with human malnutrition areas. This shows how improved production and utilisation to create nutritional improvements. • Improving sweetpotato production can reduce poverty, generate cash flow, create less food insecurity, and protect ecosystems. • Because women are nutritional decision-makers, programs that focus on them can improve child and maternal health as well as women’s income and household nutrition. • CIP’s strategies for sweetpotato production and utilization include genetic enhancement, crop and seed management, improving farming, and targeting policies and research. 45

Unit 5 What Are the Challenges to Sweetpotato Production and Utilisation? 46

Objectives By the end of this unit, you should be able to: • List the 5 major challenges to sweetpotato production and utilization in Sub-Saharan Africa. • Describe those challenges and their implications. • Tell why these challenges matter. • List some solutions to the 5 challenges. 47

5 Major Challenges The five challenges to maximum production and utilisation of sweetpotato in Sub-Saharan Africa are: 1. lack of access to “clean” planting material, 2. lack of improved varieties, 3. sweetpotato weevils, 4. lack of knowledge and poor practices, and 5. underdeveloped markets and potential products. 48

Challenge 1: Planting Material Challenges • No access “clean” planting material − Disease − Virus • Results − Less yield − Delayed planting 49 Solutions • Conservation techniques • Drought tolerant • Triple S root sprouting method • Pest management • Results − Pest virus reduction − 30 -60% yield gains

Challenge 2: Varieties Specific to Region Challenges • Varieties not adapted local environment • Results − Smaller yield − Lower micronutrients 50 Solutions • Improved varieties • Selective breeding • Results − 20% yield gains − Taste − Higher micronutrients

Challenge 3: Weevils Challenges • Prevalent pest • Results − 60% to 100% loss 51 Solutions • Management research • Results − Food security − Increase storage period

Challenge 4: Knowledge and Agronomic Practices Challenges • Insufficient knowledge • Poor practices • Results − Minimal yield Solutions • Improve − Site − Planting techniques − Weed control − Soil • Results − Yield gains 60% 52

Challenge 5: Products and Markets Challenges • Root transport expensive • Poor post-harvest care • Lack of market interest • Results − Income loss − Short shelf-life 53 Solutions • Market research • Market chain efficiency • Promote benefits • Results − Stimulate demand − Income − Health benefits

Quick Review 1. What are some of the major challenges for sweetpotato production and utilisation? 2. What are some of the solutions to those challenges? 54

Key Points • The five challenges to maximum production and utilization of sweetpotato in Sub-Saharan Africa are lack of access to “clean” planting material, lack of improved varieties, sweetpotato weevils, lack of knowledge and poor practices, and underdeveloped markets and potential products. • Solutions include new techniques, new varieties, pest management, adoption of better practices, and promotion of the benefits of sweetpotato to consumers. 55

Unit 6 Advocating for Orange. Fleshed Sweetpotato 56

Objectives By the end of this unit, you should be able to: Explain why advocacy is needed. Define advocacy. Describe the difference between advocacy and promotion. Explain who can be an orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) advocate. • Point to resources that people can use to learn how to do advocacy. • • 57

Why Advocacy is Needed • Advocacy – effort based strategic information to influence decision-makers and public on specific problem issue • OFSP is relatively new to SSA • Minimal knowledge − Benefits − Growing techniques − Income − Market • Promotion – generally raising awareness 58

Keys for Advocating • Increase investments • Relevant stakeholders − Government − NGOs − Private sector − Donors • Policy reform • Goals − Dissemination and utilization OFSP − Integrate biofortification 59

Activity (Breakout Groups) Stakeholder Presentations • Breakout into groups of 4 -5 • Create a 2 -minute presentation for different stakeholder groups on the benefits of OFSP as a solution to vitamin A insufficiency − The different stakeholder groups could include an international donor, a local NGO focusing on maternal and child nutrition, and the government ministry of agriculture • You have 10 minutes 60

Advocacy Resources • Anyone can advocate − Individuals − Organizations − Media • Reaching Agents of Change Project (RAC) − Factsheets − Videos − Power. Point presentations • Building Nutritious Food Baskets 61

Quick Review 1. How is advocacy different from promotion? 2. Why is advocacy needed to help the people of Sub-Saharan Africa understand what orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) is and how can it be useful? 62

Key Points • Advocacy is needed to inform people how sweetpotato can help fulfil their needs. • OFSP advocacy means using information about sweetpotato to influence the behaviour of consumers and policy makers. • Advocacy for OFSP is a key tool in addressing vitamin A deficiency. • One of OFSP advocacy’s main foci should be increasing investments by relevant stakeholders. 63

Unit 7 Debunking the Myths Around Sweetpotato: What Are the Facts? 64

Objectives By the end of this unit, you should be able to: • Name 5 prevalent myths around sweetpotato. • Tell why the 5 myths about sweetpotato are wrong. • Explain the truth behind these 5 myths. 65

Myth: Sweetpotato Causes Diabetes Fact: Often recommended for diabetics • Lower glycemic index • Fat-burning 66

Myth: OFSP Causes Male Infertility Fact: Enhance sperm motility • Prevents sluggish sperm • No chromosomal abnormalities • Whole family benefits 67

Myth: OFSP Leaves Not Edible Fact: Leaf highly nutritious • High volume − Nutrients − Functional compounds − Fibre − Minerals − Antioxidants • Young leaves best 68

Myth: OFSP Can Reverse Blindness Fact: Cannot Reverse Blindness • Vitamin A promotes good vision • Prevents problems • Once blind, cannot reverse 69

Myth: OFSP is Genetically Modified Fact: OFSP is not GMO • Genetically − Rich − Diverse − Different colors • 5, 000 varieties − All naturally grown 70

Quick Review 1. Why is sweetpotato actually a recommended food for diabetics? 2. Does sweetpotato make men more or less fertile? 3. Are sweetpotato leaves good for human consumption? 71

Key Points • Sweetpotato may taste sweet, but it does not contribute to diabetes. In fact, it is a lower glycemic (GI) food that can help control diabetes. • Sweet tasting foods do not affect male fertility. Sweetpotato is actually good for fertility. • Sweet potato leaves are edible and nutritious. • The vitamin A in sweetpotato helps avoid nutritional deficiencies that can lead to conditions that cause blindness, night blindness, or other eye problems. However, it cannot cure blindness. • OSFP (orange-fleshed sweetpotato) is not a GMO, but due to natural and cultivation selection, sweetpotato comes in many varieties with different characteristics and benefits. 72