AgBioForum, 11(1): 48-57. ©2008 AgBioForum. Background In Zimbabwe, sweet potatoes are becoming an impor-

urban areas, it is estimated that between 1-7 kg of sweet potatoes are consumed per capita while rural households consume between 3-5 kg of sweet potatoes per capita (Zimbabwe National Vulnerability Assessment Com-mittee, 2004). About 11 % of sweet potatoes produced in rural areas are consumed in urban areas of the country, thus contributing to household nutrition. Tsou and Hong (1992) note that regular intake of 100 grams (half a cup) of sweet potatoes with moderate amounts of β-carotene (e.g., 3mg/100mg) per day can supply the recommended levels of Vitamin A to children less than five years of age. The increased demand for sweet potatoes in the country is mainly attributed to the high cost of pro-cessed starch foods, such as bread and other confection-ary products. Despite the role that the crop plays in the household food economy, it is treated informally at the national level. This is shown by the lack of disaggre-gated data on national sweet potato output over the years and national programs that promote sweet potato production. Smith (2004) indicated that the national average yield of the crop is 6 tons per hectare with wide yield variations of up to 25 tons per hectare for sweet potatoes grown under irrigation. While this compares well with Africa’s yield average of 6t/ha, it is below the global average yield of 14 t/ha and a yield potential of 18 t/ha (International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications [ISAAA], 2006). National sweet potato production levels in the country have gen-erally not exceeded 10,000 tons per year (Scott, 2005). This tonnage is low when compared with other coun