The Sweetpotato for Profit and Health Initiative is (SPHI) is a 10 year, multi donor initiative that seeks to reduce child malnutrition and improve smallholder incomes through the effective production and expanded use of sweetpotato. The SPHI is expected to improve the lives of 10 million households by 2020 in 17 target countries, through promoting production, consumption and utilization of sweetpotato. Without quality seed this goal cannot be met.  We need to ensure that male and female farmers have timely access to adequate quantities of quality seed of the varieties which meet end user preferences. This requires: understanding farmer demand for seed; tackling seed borne pests and diseases; improving capacities to conserve and multiply seed in areas with a long dry season; increasing the multiplication rate for sweetpotato seed; implementing appropriate quality assurance mechanisms and identifying appropriate seed enterprise opportunities and distribution channels.

The Sweetpotato Seed Systems Community of Practice (CoP) third consultation meeting was held on April 28 – 29 2015 in Kigali, Rwanda. The meeting brought together more than 40 participants from 11 countries, namely: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. The theme of the meeting was ‘The Business Case for Sweetpotato Seed.’