Abstract
Gender-differentiated end-user trait preferences for sweetpotato varieties in Iganga and Kamuli districts in eastern Uganda. A Focus Group Discussion Report
Highlights
Information gaps were filled by combining focus group discussions (FGDs) with key informant interviews (KII) and household surveys to understand the trait preference in parts of Eastern Uganda
During August to September 2020, International Potato Center (CIP) under the SweetGAINS WP 1 project supported collaborating agricultural research team from National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) and public extension service in Kamuli and Iganga study districts to conduct the FGDs on sweetpotato production and consumption
A potential explanation is the higher focus of food security interventions in Kamuli district where biofortification interventions by HarvestPlus, VEDCO and university of Iowa have been reported. These interventions include pushing for the adoption of orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) accompanied with deliberate commercialization and seed system development activities in the district
Summary
Sweetpotato value chains are changing rapidly due to changing weather, consumption patterns, increasing incomes, increased awareness and demand for quality products by consumers (Okello et al, 2018). These changes have compelled producers to demand varieties that are more suitable to their unique production environments, new market demands (such as the demand for vitamin A rich sweetpotato) and processing scenarios (Low et al, 2017). The districts with the highest production of sweetpotato in the Central, Northern and Western regions were Nakasongola (66,419 tonnes), Gulu (61,732 tonnes) and Kyenjojo (40,148 tonnes) respectively. The area planted with sweetpotatoes in the Central, Eastern, Northern and Western regions 98,054 ha, 159,948 ha, 60,573 ha and 121,681 ha respectively (UBOS, 2020). The two districts have a total population of about 1,600,000 people (UBOS, 2014) of which 50.5% are female and 49.5% are male, and the majority live in rural areas (FAOSTAT Database, 2004; UBOS, 2020)
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