EPAR RESEARCH BRIEF #219
Sun, 01/27/2013
AUTHORS: Daniel Jones, C. Leigh Anderson, Mary Kay Gugerty
ABSTRACT:
This report provides a genderal overview of the sweet potato value chain in Ethiopia. The first section describes trends in sweet potato production and consumption since the early 1990s. The second section describes the uses and importance of sweet potatoes in Ethiopia. The final section discuss major issues in production, post-production, and marketing. The literature available on sweet potetoes in Ethiopia was quite limited and draws on the wider literature on sweet potatoes in East Africa where needed. We find that Ethiopia ranks fifteenth in the world in terms of sweet potato production. Production has been rising quickly since 2008, following a period of slow decline in the early 2000s. Yields have also been rising slowly since 2008, but are below their peak from 2001. Sweet potato roots are consumed domestically, mostly by poor rural households. The vines also provide an important source of feed for livestock during the dry season. Major constraints to sweet potato production in Ethiopia include a lack of quality planting materials, pests and disease, and underdeveloped markets.
This report is part of a broader series of reports on crop value chains. Follow the links below to explore the other reports in this series:
- Crop Value Chains: Wheat Global Analysis (EPAR Technical Report #199)
- Crop Value Chains: Wheat in Bihar, India (EPAR Technical Report #202)
- Crop Value Chains: Wheat in Bangladesh (EPAR Technical Report #203)
- Crop Value Chains: Wheat in Ethiopia (EPAR Technical Report #204)
- Crop Value Chains: Yams in Ghana (EPAR Technical Report #206)
- Crop Value Chains: Yams in Nigeria (EPAR Technical Report #207)
- Crop Value Chains: Sweet Potatoes in Tanzania (EPAR Technical Report #211)
- Crop Value Chains: Sweet Potatoes in Uganda (EPAR Research Brief #217)
- Crop Value Chains: Sweet Potatoes in Nigeria (EPAR Technical Report #220)
- Crop Value Chains: Cassava Global Analysis (EPAR Technical Report #223)
- Crop Value Chains: Bananas and Plantains in West Africa (EPAR Technical Report #239)
TYPE OF RESEARCH: Literature Review
RESEARCH TOPIC CATEGORY: Sustainable Agriculture & Rural Livelihoods; Agricultural Inputs & Farm Management; Market & Value Chain Analysis
GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS: East Africa Region and Selected Countries
DATASET(S): FAOSTAT
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