The International Potato Center (CIP), in collaboration with national research institutions and development partners, has launched a multi-country initiative to validate a new generation of sweet potato varieties for large-scale deployment across sub-Saharan Africa.
The initiative, known as the SweetBreak project, focuses on identifying and testing high-potential varieties that can meet the continent’s evolving food, nutrition, and market demands.
Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the project brings together scientists, breeders, and partners from countries including Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique.
The project was formally introduced during an inception meeting held in Nairobi in late January, marking the start of coordinated efforts to accelerate the delivery of improved varieties to farmers.
It builds on more than a decade of investment in sweet potato breeding, shifting attention toward late-stage validation to ensure that promising varieties are ready for multiplication, release, and scaling through national agricultural systems.
At the core of the initiative is the need to align breeding outcomes with real-world conditions. The validation process is designed to ensure that selected varieties respond effectively to farmer preferences, consumer demand, and specific agroecological challenges across Africa.
These include drought- and heat-prone environments, regions with high virus pressure, and areas within the savanna–Sahelian belt, which collectively cover millions of hectares of farmland.
Despite the widespread cultivation of sweet potato across Africa, much of the crop area remains dominated by white-, cream-, and yellow-fleshed varieties.
The SweetBreak project places particular emphasis on advancing orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), which is rich in beta-carotene and plays a critical role in addressing vitamin A deficiency, especially among women and children.
CIP and its partners have previously developed and disseminated dozens of biofortified OFSP varieties, contributing to improved nutrition and livelihoods for millions of households. These varieties are part of broader efforts to combat malnutrition and strengthen food systems by increasing access to nutrient-rich crops.
The SweetBreak initiative seeks to build on these achievements by ensuring that newly developed varieties are not only nutritionally beneficial but also commercially viable. By linking breeding priorities with market needs, the project aims to enhance adoption rates among farmers while supporting value chain development and income generation.
Ultimately, the validation of next-generation sweet potato varieties is expected to play a key role in strengthening resilience among smallholder farmers, improving dietary diversity, and expanding market opportunities across Africa’s agricultural sector.
