Pre-Extension Demonstration of Improved Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato Technology in Baka Dawula Ari Woreda of South Omo Zone

Sweet potato is widely used for its roots for humans and fed to livestock as sources of energy, even though farmers have been growing low yielder and less nutritive local varieties in the area yet. Hence, three improved OFS potato varieties with full package were demonstrated in Kaysa and Bytsimal kebeles of Baka Dawula Ari woreda on 10 farmers’ land and 2 FTCs with objective of creating farmers’ awareness towards its improved varieties and production technology. The demonstration was conducted on land size of 10*10 m2 with spacing of 60 cm and 30 cm between rows and plants respectively for each of the variety on each farmer’s and FTC demonstration field. On-farm training was provided to 22 farmers and DAs of corresponding kebeles. Farmers preference and root yield data were collected and simple descriptive statistics such as mean, maximum, minimum and percentage was used. According to this demonstration result, Kabode variety was ranked first compared Naspot-12 and Naspot-13 which were ranked as the second and third respectively based on root size and color, biomass, earliness, cooking quality, food test and resistance to disease. On average root yields of 48, 41.1 and 40.4 t/ha were obtained from Kabode, Naspot-13 and Naspot-12 varieties under farmers management condition respectively. So that, improving access improved seed, linkages between extension and farmers, and organizing on-farm awareness creation trainings at FTC enhanced productivity of root yield of sweet potato in the areas. Therefore, the office of agriculture of the woreda should scale up Kabode and Naspot-12 varieties at large scale in similar agro-ecologies.