Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam): A Review of Modern Varieties and Production Guidelines for Enhanced Food and Nutrition Security

Abstract

Sweet potato is an important root crop that feeds millions of people, mostly the poor. Being a versatile crop, it is generally adapted to varying environments. The potential of sweet potato as food, feed, and industrial raw material has not been fully realized due to the: (a) dominance of subsistence farming with local varieties and poor-quality vine cuttings; (b) low or no knowledge and awareness of the new high-yielding yellow-fleshed sweet potato (YFSP) varieties rich in beta-carotene and micronutrients that could alleviate hunger and malnutrition globally; (c) high soil nutrient depletion by the crop under continuous cultivation with low or no nutrient inputs; (d) huge (40–80%) losses of roots after harvest due to poor postharvest management; and (e) inadequate farmers’ access to sweet potato value chain. This review shows how to increase farmers’ productivity and income and simultaneously sustain soil health by using improved, drought-tolerant varieties and climate-smart integrated crop and resource management technologies; reduce harvest and postharvest losses through improved postharvest management; reduce malnutrition by producing and consuming YFSP varieties; and increase sweet potato product lines to boost market demand and farmers’ income, which in turn will encourage farmers to intensify sweet potato production with adequate inputs.