The International Potato Center (CIP), in partnership with national research institutions, has launched a multi-country collaboration to validate high-potential sweetpotato varieties for large-scale deployment across Sub-Saharan Africa supported by the Gates Foundation. The project was officially introduced at an inception meeting held on 29–30 January in Nairobi, Kenya, bringing together breeders, scientists, and development partners from Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique.
Building on over a decade of sweetpotato breeding investments, the initiative focuses on late-stage validation to ensure the most promising varieties are ready for multiplication, release, and scaling through national systems. While most of Africa’s sweetpotato area is still planted with white-, cream-, or yellow-fleshed varieties, orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) remains vital for addressing vitamin A deficiency, particularly among women and children. The project aligns breeding efforts with farmer preferences, nutritional needs, and market demand, targeting key agroecological zones including drought- and heat-prone areas, high virus-pressure regions, and the savanna–Sahelian belt covering over three million hectares.
Instead of early-stage breeding, the initiative emphasizes Advanced Yield Trials (AYTs) and On-Farm Variety Trials (OFVTs) using the Tricot Techology. Trials across five countries will allow hundreds of farmers, with deliberate inclusion of women, to compare a small number of candidate varieties under real production conditions. Varieties will be evaluated on yield, maturity, resilience, and culinary qualities, complemented by consumer preference tests, sensory analysis, and laboratory assessments. For millions of African farmers facing climate stress, disease pressure, and changing markets, the next generation of sweetpotato varieties must perform where it matters most: on their fields and on consumers’ plates.
Several breakthrough candidates from previous breeding investments are now entering final validation. In Uganda, Mozambique, and Nigeria, some varieties have demonstrated yield advantages over commonly grown types, alongside strong dry matter performance and positive consumer feedback. These candidates will undergo national performance trials, DUS testing, and registration, with at least three breakthrough varieties expected to be released during the project period.
The project emphasizes close collaboration between CIP and National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) to strengthen breeding networks, harmonize data collection, and expand digital tools for evidence-based decisions. By combining rigorous field validation with farmer-led testing and consumer engagement, the project aims to generate decision-ready evidence on the varieties most likely to succeed at scale. Demonstration plots and partnerships with extension services, community organizations, and scaling agents will support visibility, demand creation, and uptake.
Other countries in Africa and beyond that are not included in this project are welcome to request breeding support or even elite clones for testing and potential release. Requests can be submitted through the institutional channels available on the portal.
Here’s what participants from different countries had to say about the initiative:
Driving Food Security and Nutrition Through Next-Generation Sweetpotato Varieties in Nigeria
Today, OFSP in Nigeria is embedded in multiple value chains including fresh markets, processing, and urban street food systems and has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry contributing significantly to livelihoods and the national economy. The new project builds on this strong foundation by introducing breakthrough sweetpotato materials with superior traits, including higher yields and improved quality characteristics. These are next-generation varieties designed to respond directly to market demand and farmer needs. I am confident that farmers will achieve yield increases of at least 20 to 25 percent under normal field conditions, which will significantly enhance productivity and profitability.
Equally important is the focus on high dry matter content at least 30 percent, which is essential for frying, one of the largest informal food businesses in Nigeria. From rural communities to bustling urban centres, fried sweetpotato products are widely consumed, and processors depend on varieties that deliver the right texture, taste, and cooking quality. This creates a win–win situation across the value chain. Farmers benefit from higher yields and better incomes; processors and vendors gain access to high-quality roots that meet market standards; traders experience increased demand; and consumers receive a product that aligns with their preferences. When the right varieties reach farmers and markets, adoption follows naturally, generating meaningful impacts on livelihoods, nutrition outcomes, and the broader economy.
Tanzania Targets Higher-Yield, Consumer-Preferred Sweetpotato Varieties Through the SweetBreak Project
In Tanzania, Sweetpotato contributes to food security, nutritional security through orange-fleshed varieties (OFSP), and income generation.
Despite its importance, national productivity remains low, largely due to continued reliance on local varieties that are highly susceptible to pests and diseases. Farmers persist in growing local cultivars because of their high dry matter content, a trait closely linked to consumer acceptance and culinary quality, which is often lower in many improved varieties.
The SweetBreak project addresses this trade-off by introducing breakthrough sweetpotato varieties that combine farmer- and consumer-preferred traits, including high yield, high dry matter content, and tolerance to major pests and diseases. By aligning agronomic performance with end-user preferences, these varieties are expected to significantly boost adoption rates.
Empowering Communities Through Gender-Inclusive Sweetpotato Innovation in Mozambique
What sets this project apart is its strong focus on gender inclusivity and nutrition, especially for children. Several associations in Mozambique are keen to produce sweetpotato-based foods targeted at children, and this initiative provides technical support, training, and resources to realize these efforts.
This project is significant because it not only strengthens sweetpotato production but also promotes the development and processing of sweetpotato-based products. While most consumption is currently fresh or fried, there is a growing interest in diversifying sweetpotato uses, including processed products that can improve nutrition and create market opportunities. With the availability of improved sweetpotato varieties, it is now possible to develop a wide range of products that meet consumer preferences and market demands.
Advancing Sweetpotato Productivity and Market Readiness in Malawi
The SweetBreak project is very timely to Malawi as it seeks to address some of the regional challenges by focusing on key identified market segments and target product profiles with emphasis on extensive consumer engagement through consumer preference tests and on-farm verification trials using TRICOT approach. DARS in collaboration with CIP and with funding from the donor community has, over the years, developed and released 21 sweetpotato varieties including 12 orange and 9 white-fleshed varieties. Despite this numerical achievement, adoption remains low for the majority of the varieties. This may be attributed to limited participatory validation of the products, underdeveloped supply chains for healthy planting material of the improved varieties, limited investment in intensification of both seed and root production, limited capacity for storage and value addition to expanding the period of availability, and poor market and production information systems that could support commercial investment.
The project has set a threshold yield (on dry matter basis) of at least 25% higher than the current ones as target products for this initiative. For breeders in Malawi this represents a challenge that has to be overcome through capacity building, networking, germplasm exchange and knowledge sharing among researchers in the partner institutions. It also represents an opportunity for the sweetpotato value chain actors including the producers, household consumers and industries to get the best of the best (the breakthrough product).