Development of Sweet Potato Commodities as an Innovation and Downstreaming Effort

Abstract

Cikalong Village, West Bandung Regency, has considerable potential for sweet potato production; however, the commodity is generally sold as a low-value raw product. Product innovation and digital marketing offer opportunities to increase its economic value and expand its consumer market. This community service program aimed to strengthen the entrepreneurial capacity of local community members in developing innovative sweet potato-based culinary products and preparing them as potential local souvenirs. The participants consisted of 12 prospective entrepreneurs/community members from Cikalong Village, who participated in a series of production training and mentoring activities. The pre-test and post-test evaluation involved 12 participants from Cikalong Village who participated in the sweet potato product development training and mentoring program. The results demonstrated a measurable improvement in participants' knowledge and skills, with the average score increasing from 60% in the pre-test to 87% in the post-test, representing a 27-percentage-point increase or a 45% relative improvement. The 12 participants received hands-on training and mentoring covering sweet potato processing, product innovation, production techniques, and product development. The production mentoring was conducted through several experimental stages. The first experiment did not produce the expected product characteristics. A second experiment was subsequently conducted by modifying the raw material, including the use of honey, but the resulting product still required further improvement. Therefore, a third experiment is planned, particularly in the finishing stage, through adjustments to additional ingredients and processing techniques. Although the training improved participants' knowledge and practical skills, the final product had not yet reached a market-ready stage during the community service period because the production process required approximately nine days. Consequently, the economic impact and sales performance of the product could not yet be measured during the implementation period.