North Americans don’t eat a lot of sweet potatoes. When we do, it’s a matter of adding maple syrup, brown sugar or marshmallows - and usually turkey is the main attraction of the meal. But there are surprising qualities lurking beneath that tough skin.

The International Potato Center (CIP) is focused on improving potato crops across the globe. Generally, potatoes are one of the top food crops, along with grains such as wheat, rice, maize and barley. The CIP recently surveyed agricultural scientists in more than 20 developing countries, focusing on sweet potato cultivation by smaller producers. While many countries face the same challenges for their crops - viral diseases, opportunities for small-scale processing, and quality of varieties - differences are apparent. In sub-Saharan Africa, sweet potato weevils damage crops, and dietary beta-carotene (Vitamin A) levels are low, due to the predominance of yellow varieties. In China, higher starch yield is desirable, along with conservation of genetic variation in sweet potatoes.

Although called a potato (which are members of the Solanaceae), sweet potatoes are members of an unrelated plant family (Convolvulaceae). They are fairly hardy and pest-resistant; their tenacious growth in poor soil allows them to flourish in many developing countries, where they are often considered a second-class food despite their use since prehistoric times. Sweet potatoes are used for livestock feed as well as human food; after processing, they yield flour and starch, which in turn form the basis for noodles, desserts, candy and more.

Proper nutrition can be elusive for many people in developing countries. A single orange sweet potato packs a punch, providing twice the necessary Vitamin A, as well as Vitamin C, calcium, iron, thiamine, and fibre. It has been ranked nutritionally higher than any other vegetable, making it a potential solution for world hunger. Ten years ago, the CIP wrote a report advocating the use of sweet potatoes as a weaning food in malnourished children. The same year saw a report on sweet potatoes and Vitamin A deficiency in Africa. However, this modest vegetable is still not used to its potential.

The new survey marks one of the first steps in sweet potato research. Keith Fuglie, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, led the study and hopes that technological innovations will be available within five to ten years, so the benefits can be felt in hungry populations.

Oh, and when you are in the store, stocking upon those healthy sweet potatoes, don’t get confused by the name. Whether you pick up the orange-fleshed or paler yellow version, they are all sweet potatoes, despite the label of sweet potato versus yam. True yams are rarely seen in stores and can be spotted by their rough scaly skins.