Factors affecting sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) production practices in Northern and Southern Ethiopia

Abstract Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) is a potential food security crop in the crop–livestock production systems for subsistence smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. This study assessed the social, ecological, and economic factors that influence sweet potato production in selected districts in Northern and Southern Ethiopia. The research site was stratified into low, middle, and high altitudes. A mixed method, consisting of quantitative and qualitative approaches, was used for data collection. A quantitative questionnaire was prepared and distributed to randomly selected farmer households, followed by qualitative in-depth interviews of key informants from research institutions, local agricultural offices, and researchers working in the study areas. In addition, informal interviews, transect walks, participation in planting, and discussions were used. In both sites, pests, diseases, drought, and lack of adaptable cultivars for different agro-ecological conditions influenced sweet potato production. In Northern Ethiopia, lack of adequate sweet potato knowledge of production practices and planting materials limited farmers from planting the crop widely. In Southern Ethiopia, farmers lost their sweet potato landraces because of the adoption and shifting to cultivating new high-yielding cultivars of sweet potato. This study suggests that farmers’ awareness and knowledge on the available cultivars and landraces as well as the relevant agronomical practices and performances should be improved. Moreover, participatory breeding programs for droughts, pests, and diseases tolerant, and nutrient rich and high - yielding cultivars are commendable.