Producing large quantities of high quality minitubers at low cost is essential for an economically viable supply of seed potatoes. Here we systematize the technical and economic aspects of aeroponics and provide a benchmark comparison of this technology with other mini-tuber production systems as developed in Latin America: conventional, semi-hydroponics, and fiber-cement tiles technology. Research methodologies included: 3-year registration of cash flows and production registers of aeroponics, economic and technical surveys, in-depth inquiry with managers of technologies. Results show that aeroponics as promoted by

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Conventional systems of seed potato production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) started to have serious challenges concerning substrate sterilization particularly with the threats from Ralstonia solanacearum (Gildemacher, 2012). At the same time over the last two decades there has been an increase in consumption of processed potatoes in the region (Tesfaye et al., 2010). One strategy for overcoming this challenge was to increase the area under production and yields per unit area. An intervention strategy for increasing yield per unit area was making disease-free planting seed potatos available to farmers. In SSA, the International Potato Center (CIP) intervened through introduction of aeroponics technology in the year 2008 under the 3 G project (Landeo et al., 2009). Aeroponics technology revolutionized production of pre-basic seed potato production in SSA. However, this technology requires a constant supply of electricity and specialized attendants over the growing period of the crop. In many SSA countries infrastructural challenges such as unreliable supply of electricity and expensive boiler-based sterilization methods for the growing media are a major difficulty in the adoption of this technology (Otazu, 2010). Sand hydroponics offers an alternative technology for clean pre-basic seed potato production. It uses sand as the inert material and an elevated tank to allow the flow of nutrient solution by gravity. Sand is sterilized with sodium hypochlorite which is cheaper than steam boilers (Otazu et al., 2010). Sand aeroponics uses plantlets from tissue culture as well as minitubers from conventional aeroponics. Production rates in sand hydroponics are higher than the conventional system, but less than aeroponics. At Tigoni in Kenya, yields of over 500 minitubers from 1 m2 were recorded. The minitubers produced from sand hydroponics were larger than those from conventional aeroponics. The initial installation cost and cost per season of sand hydroponics is lower than the conventional aeroponics system. In the future we believe sand hydroponics can replace the conventional system for quality pre-basic seed potato production in SSA.

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