Farmer, Trader, and Consumer Decision-making: Toward Sustainable Marketing of Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato in Mozambique and Uganda

This short note provides an extremely interesting case study of how a value chain approach was used to introduce orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) in Mozambique and Uganda. A project of HarvestPlus, the initiative had the objectives of increasing production of the potato, raising the income of its producers, and expanding consumption in local markets. The authors focus on the latter two objectives, describing the market research that was undertaken assess the demand for the orange-fleshed sweet potato - a product that was less frequently consumed but more nutritious than the better known white-fleshed variety - and unknown to many consumers. The research derived four categories of potential consumers and identified the highest potential markets to focus on. It also implemented an innovative approach to testing consumer willingness to pay higher prices for the orange-fleshed variety. The note closes by presenting the rapid increase in market share held by OFSP in Mozambique to 50% from nearly 0% and the achievement of a price premium, though it does not share results from the work in Uganda.