Harnessing the Potentials of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) for Enhanced Livelihood and Development

Abstract

This review gives an overview of the potentials of Sweet potato as a versatile and multi-functional crop. It brings together careful reviews of some of the outstanding characteristics and revealing potentials of the crop which have been established and reported by several researches and authors. The contents of this review contains reviews on components such as the various types of Sweet potato based on the flesh color and their various constituent compounds, nutritive features, phenolic acids contained in Sweet potato, the phytochemical and pharmacological properties such as diseases’ prevention and promotion of good health through its antioxidant, anticancer, antiulcer, anti-inflammation, cardiovascular properties and the enhancement of the immune system, processing of Sweet potato in to various food products such as vinegar, chips, flakes, cubes, yoghurt, cheese and some industrial utilization in the processing of alcohol and starch, the utilization potentials in animal feed; use as silage, processed to hay, as green-chop, the use of the tuber in poultry feeds and the contributions of the crop towards food security and development through the ability to fight hunger, poverty reduction, income generation, climate resilient and adaptability to vast range of climates. Various authors and researches have investigated and voted Sweet potato as one of the crops with the best production, consumption and utilization attributes which can help the smallholder farmers in the forest, tropical and subtropical zones to achieved food security and households’ income stability. Sweet potato is gaining attention and registering growing demands with appreciating growth in exports and imports in some countries across the globe due to its quality and potentials. The developing countries in particular which have the comparable advantages in the cultivation of Sweet potato should develop schemes and policies that will enable them to tap in to its potentials for livelihood improvement and development.