**17. Conclusions**

Sweet potato is an important root crop that feeds millions of people in developing countries. It is also a valuable raw material for food, feed and other industries. Use of improved varieties and healthy planting materials and improved crop production and postharvest management technologies will help close the yield gap, increase farmers' productivity and income, and build climate resilience for sweet potato farming. Increased production and consumption of nutrient-rich yellow-fleshed sweet potato (YFSP) varieties will address the widespread problem of vitamin A and micronutrients deficiency in children and women of developing countries. Being a nutrient intensive crop, it is important to apply enough nutrients through organic amendments and fertilizers to maintain soil health for sustainable high crop yields over long-term. Installing in-field rainwater harvesting systems and using the water for supplemental irrigation at critical stages of storage roots initiation and bulking will help stabilize the yields of rain-fed crops under changing climate. Market demand for sweet potato roots must be increased significantly by developing processing industries near production centres and diversifying sweet potato product lines. Finally, farmers should get greater access to sweet potato value chain so that they are encouraged to produce and sell more sweet potatoes in local, national, and international markets, as well as to food processing industries.
