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Spotlight on Sweet potatoes

© Paul Vincent Mroso

The sweet potato:

Botanically termed 'Ipomoea batatas,' a member of the morning glory family, sweet potatoes are grown for food derived from the tuberous roots and the leaves, while the whole plant has use as an animal fodder. The role of this food crop in enhancing African food security based on the following qualities:

High crop yield per unit area in comparison to many starchy food crops that are staple foods in many food deficit regions.

The crop adopts to growth in a wide range of conditions of soils, temperature and moisture. Apart from planting and harvesting, the crop needs little labour input.

It offers ground cover that controls weeds, suitable in 'shamba' system, a common farming method in Africa where many crops are planted to grow and produce at the same time.

The crop is esteemed as nutritionally rich with Protein (nearly 2%) Carbohydrates (30%)and sugars (up to 5%) with Vitamins A, B and C, and minerals Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium, Phosphorus, Iron, Iodine, Manganese, Copper and Zinc.

From planting to harvesting, the crop takes only 3-6 months.

The soft mouth feel and texture renders suitability for use as baby food and blends with numerous spices to make many types of dishes and is an ingredient of many food recipes.

Preservation and storage of both the root crop and the leaves ensures food supply to help during periods of food scarcity, a significant factor in food-deficient areas and hence the role of this crop in food security.

The Versatile Sweet potato:

As a personal experience, the sweet tasting roots, hence the name sweet potato, can be eaten raw to provide quick sustenance when one is hungry. Food is prepared from sweet potatoes by boiling, baking or frying. The tuber is also sliced, dried and pulverised to flour for making pastries, bread mixes and puddings. The leaves are consumed as one of the numerous green leafy vegetables popular in African diets. The whole plant including the tubers is a good additive to animal feeds.

There are publications on medicinal uses of sweet potato but claims of numerous curative properties are rather exaggerated.

Modern science however, through the Genetic Modification (GM) studies, claim to increase the sugar content of sweet potatoes. The significance of this claim in medicinal, commercial or nutritional benefits is yet to be demonstrated.

George Washington Carver (1860-1943) demonstrated the possibility of diversifying the use of sweet potato from just food to other products of commercial significance such as vinegar, molasses, rubber, ink and glue.