Sweet potato

:For the musical instrument, see ocarina.

Origin and distribution

Sweet potatoes are native to the tropical Americas and were domesticated there at least 5000 years ago. http://www.cipotato.org/market/PgmRprts/pr99-00/39historic.pdf http://www.cgiar.org/impact/research/sweetpotato.html They spread very early throughout the region, including the Caribbean. They were also known in pre-Columbian times in Polynesia. How exactly they arrived there is the subject of a fierce debate which involves archaeological, linguistic and genetic evidence.

Related Topics:
Americas - Caribbean - Polynesia

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Sweet potatoes are now cultivated throughout tropical and warm temperate regions wherever there is sufficient water to support their growth.

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According to 2004 FAO statistics http://faostat.fao.org/faostat/servlet/XteServlet3?Areas=%3E862&Items=122&Elements=51&Years=2004&Format=Table&Xaxis=Years&Yaxis=Countries&Aggregate=&Calculate=&Domain=SUA&ItemTypes=Production.Crops.Primary&language=EN, China alone accounts for 83% of the world harvest, producing about 105,000,000 tonnes (115,000,000 short tons) on 4.9 million hectares. Almost half of the Chinese crop is used for livestock feed http://www.cgiar.org/impact/research/sweetpotato.html.

Related Topics:
FAO - China - Tonne - Ton

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Per-capita production is greatest in countries where sweet potatoes are a staple of human consumption, led by the Solomon Islands at 160 kg per person per year, and Burundi at 130 kg.

Related Topics:
Solomon Islands - Burundi

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