Sweetpotato Knowledge Portal
The new-look Sweetpotato Knowledge Portal was launched on 15th February 2016, following about one year of redesign work.
The Portal is the global meeting place for all things sweetpotato – where sweetpotato professionals and scientists come together to share, discuss and generate new knowledge. It was first launched in 2010 to respond to a specific challenge: For many decades, extensive work and innovation on sweetpotato had been carried out in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), but the information generated was scattered in different institutions and was classified or indexed using different methods. Without a structured forum, it was very difficult to access this information.
Therefore, the Portal was created to improve access to technical, scientific, local and development knowledge on sweetpotato. Ultimately, this exchange of information, knowledge, tools and innovations, is expected to contribute to the improvement of income, nutrition, health and food security of millions of people across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Since it was launched, the portal has seen some major achievements. The first Sweetpotato Knowledge Portal E-Digest was published in the beginning of June 2016. As at June 2016, the Portal has 324 registered users, and the number is growing daily. Out of these people, 104 have registered as experts which means that they can be contacted for their expertise by anyone who needs it. The names, locations and contacts of over 500 vine multipliers have been added on to the Portal. Through them, farmers can get access to clean disease-free planting material.
What can people do on the Sweetpotato Knowledge portal?
In order to get the full benefits, one is encouraged to sign up as a member of the Sweetpotato Knowledge portal at http://www.sweetpotatoknowledge.org/user-register/. Registered members can navigate through all the tools and add content. They can also:
- Join discussions; here, participants can share ideas, experiences and questions with the thematic communities of practice by joining discussion forums.
- Add projects; participants can share the public aspects of their sweet potato project with the global community and share work plans, budgets and progress reports privately with team members.
- Upload and share; here, participants share news, updates and new sweetpotato knowledge products showcasing the work they are doing.
- Explore and discover; this is where participants can check out detailed manuals on all things sweet potato.
Members of the Sweetpotato Communities of Practice learn how to use the Portal
To ensure that members are able to effectively use the Portal, trainings hae been organized in line with the annual meetings of four communities of practice (CoPs). These CoPs are supported under the umbrella of the Sweetpotato for Profit and Health Initiative (SPHI). In total, 70 members have been trained. They were taught how to upload files and add metadata, add external links, projects, new items and events, join discussion forums and conduct searches.
The portal is part of the Sweetpotato Action for Security and Health in Africa (SASHA) project with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
For more information or assistance with registration, get in touch with the administrator:
+254 20 422 3672
