Vol. 13(50), pp. 2818-2825, 13 December, 2018 DOI: 10.5897/AJAR2017.12490 Article Number: 03A78BD59502 ISSN: 1991-637X Copyright ©2018 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article http://www.academicjournals.org/AJAR African Journal of Agricultural Research Full Length Research Paper Factors influencing commercialization of sweet potato in Mosocho Subcounty, Kenya Winnie Kemunto Mageto* and Kamau Gathiaka School of Economics, University of Nairobi, University Way, Nairobi, Kenya. Received 2 June, 2016; Accepted 10 October, 2017 Sweet potato is a traditional crop grown in most parts of Kenya. In Nyanza Region, Kisii County and Mosocho sub-county in particular are major producers of the crop. However, only less than half of the produce is marketed and the growers are largely poverty stricken. This paper investigates why so little of the produce is marketed. Using primary data collected from a survey of 108 farmers in Mosocho, the study estimates a logit model to explain the factors that influence commercialization of sweet potatoes in the area. Results show that poor market information for the many farmers who are not members of any cooperative society, limited non-farm incomes, and urbanization are the major factors constraining commercialization of the root crop. Interventions that promote cooperatives and rural industrialization could go a long way in boosting trade in sweet potatoes. Key words: Sweet potato, commercialization, smallholder farms, logit model, Mosocho, Kenya. INTRODUCTION Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a root crop within the morning glory family (Colvolvulaceae). Its origin is thought to be Latin America and it is believed to have been brought to Africa by slave traders. The exact date of its arrival is unknown. The crop has, however, been in the food system in Africa for a long time, and it is widely considered as an indigenous or traditional crop in the region. Sweet potato is ranked fifth among the most important food crops (Scott et al., 1999). It is rich in energy, carbohydrates, fiber, minerals (especially potassium) and vitamins (especially vitamin A). A serving of 100 g (about half a cup) of boiled sweet potato (especially the orange fleshed type) supplies 50% of vitamin A daily requirement (Hagenimana and Low, 2000). Potato is a promising plant remedy for vitamin A deficiency and Uganda has been trying this option. The International Potato Research Center has developed sweet potato varieties richer in beta carotenes that the body uses to synthesize Vitamin A and with high dry matter content (Bachou and Labadarios, 2002). This is an example of bio-fortified crop varieties with increased mineral and vitamin content that can raise nutritional standards in people. According to FAOSTAT data, 80 to 85% of the total world production of sweet potatoes is from Asia with *Corresponding author. E-mail: magetowinnie@gmail.com. Author(s) agree that this article remain permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License