On‐farm evaluation of methods for storing fresh sweet potato roots in East Africa

Abstract

Methods for sweet potato storage, previously developed at a research station, were tested on‐farm by subsistence farmers in Lake Zone, Tanzania. On‐farm testing confirmed that the methods were suitable but indicated that practical and simple improvements were necessary, without which losses in the proportion of market‐quality roots from the store could be as high as 79%. These practical improvements were mainly concerned with the position of stores on the farms. The addition of a new step, dehaulming, improved the recovery of market‐quality roots by 48%. However, although the storage methods were developed in order to improve farmer income, most farmers said they would use the stored roots as a subsistence staple for household food security. Variations among the farmers in their attitudes to storing sweet potato suggest that, when transferring methods from the research station to the farm, it is necessary to target those most able to adopt the approach. Additionally, the farmers considered that local market traders may not be keen to sell stored roots. Therefore, other actors in the value chain, such as market traders and consumers, ought to be included in the process of transferring methods from the research station to the farm. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Review: Food loss and waste in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…How do greater levels of food supply affect incentives and behavior of transporters, wholesalers, retailers, etc.? Tomlins et al (2007) expose that sweet potato traders in Tanzania are not interested in buying/selling stored roots. Do preferences like these create disincentives for farmers to want to invest in on-farm PHL reduction?…”

On-farm evaluation of the impact of drying and storage on the carotenoid content of orange-fleshed sweet potato (Ipomea batata Lam.)

“…, 2010a) that losses of carotenoids were much more critical during storage for 4 months (70.4%) than during drying (9.0%). Tomlins et al. (2007) argued that experimental results obtained on a research station do not necessarily transfer to the farm situation because of variations in farmer knowledge and the local environment.…”

“…New ways of consuming OFSP in forms such as juice, bread and confectionary products are being investigated to extend the availability and nutritional benefits through both home consumption and trade. The availability of fresh sweet potato is seasonal and storage of the fresh root beyond 3 months is difficult (Tomlins et al, 2007). Hence, the production of dried products could potentially extend the availability of sweet potato by up to 4-6 months.…”

“…In addition, it was demonstrated in an on-station study in Uganda (Bechoff et al, 2010a) that losses of carotenoids were much more critical during storage for 4 months (70.4%) than during drying (9.0%). Tomlins et al (2007) argued that experimental results obtained on a research station do not necessarily transfer to the farm situation because of variations in farmer knowledge and the local environment. It was therefore important to verify the on-station results in typical rural setting.…”

Shelf life extension of sweetpotato roots using household-level storage method

“…The effectiveness of this possible curing option needs to be evaluated. Alternatively, dehaulming (removing the canopy) one week before harvest has been reported to improve the market quality of roots by 48% (Tomlins et al, 2007). However, there is little information on the influence of dehaulming on post-harvest shelf life extension of sweetpotato.…”