Sistema de produção de batata-doce ( Ipomoea Batatas (L.) Lam.) em Fondwa, Léogâne, Haiti

Abstract

Sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas L. (Lam.)], of the family Convolvulaceae, is an important food in developing countries such as Haiti. Its tuberous roots are valuable sources of vitamin A and energy. In the 10th communal section of Fondwa, in western Haiti, where this study took place, sweet potato cultivation has a low average yield of 2 Mg ha-1. The region has a tropical microclimate of altitude (Cwb type) different from the predominant climate of the country (Aw). Ferralithic soils are common in Fondwa. This study aims to characterize the local sweet potato production system to help farmers increase their productivity. Thus, 12 sweet potato genotypes were identified and morphologically characterized based on 24 morphological descriptors proposed by the International Potato Center (CIP, 2013), and production data were collected during harvest to characterize them productively. Interviews with 39 peasants in four areas revealed 12 genotypes currently cultivated and 28 cited that were not found. On average, sweet potato yield in Fondwa in 2022 ranged from 1.22 to 2.99 Mg ha-1 and production accounted for 2.7% of Haiti's total production. Two insects, tiyogann (Cylas formicarius) and

denden (Conoderus vespertus), pose major threats. The production system is 100% family- owned, but occasionally it can hire additional labor. On average, a peasant can earn 50,750

Haitian gourdes per harvest (about $507.50) and this can generate a total annual production in Fondwa of 21,822,500 Haitian gold per year or US$ 218,225. Strategies to increase productivity include the cultivation of the most efficient genotypes, the use of nurseries to prepare seedlings, conservation practices such as mulching and no-till, and the promotion of agroecological systems aimed at the sustainable development of the country are recommended.