Project roots for climate-smart agriculture to boost potato production in Kenya

KNA by Anne Mwale 

Egerton University, the National Potato Council of Kenya (NPCK) and Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KARLO) have intensified a campaign to help potato farmers reduce production costs and boost their incomes.

Dubbed the Kenya Sustainable Potato Initiative (KSPI) Project, it is aligned with climate smart innovations and technologies geared towards cushioning farmers against climate change challenges like drought, floods, diseases and pests.

According to the project’s coordinator Professor Antony Kibe, the initiative’s objective is to promote sustainable potato production through the adoption of climate-smart potato farming practices, good agricultural practices (GAP), use of certified seeds and promotion of climate-smart agriculture technologies and innovations.

Professor Kibe who teaches agronomy at Egerton University’s Department of Crops, Horticulture and Soil Sciences, indicated that KSPI is supporting activities aligned to climate smart innovations to ensure farmers adopt climate smart agricultural practices and technologies aimed at cushioning them against the challenges they are facing.

The project which has received financial and technical support from Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has also brought on board the County Governments of Nakuru, Nyandarua, Meru, Laikipia, and Nandi, the State Department for Crop Development, the State Department for Cooperative, Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) and the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS).

The Don made the remarks at Egerton University’s Njoro Main campus after a consultative meeting of key stakeholders implementing the project.

Disclosing that the project is also incorporating seed producers, fertilizer companies, financial institutions among other key actors in the venture, Professor Kibe explained that climate smart agriculture practices include: development and use of drought and heat tolerant potato varieties, finding use for waste products from potatoes, training on the costs and benefits of crop insurance, reduction of post-harvest losses through support of agricultural machinery and adoption of biological pesticides. 

Countrywide, the crop is grown by 600,000 to 800,000 farmers with a total production of one to 1.4 million tonnes worth Sh30 to Sh40 billion per year. Small-scale farmers contribute 83 per cent of the total production.

The potato sub-sector supports 3.8 million people directly and indirectly with the National Potato Council of Kenya, putting its worth at over Sh50 billion.

Professor Kibe stated that the initiative was using various forums, including farmers’ field days to disseminate information to farmers to address climate change challenges.

“Our ultimate goal is to translate the information, knowledge and new technologies into increased incomes for small holder farmers and alleviate poverty,” he added.

Chief Executive Officer of NPCK, Mr Wachira Kaguongo, said the project’s main goal was to sustainably improve productivity and incomes of 150,000 farmers directly, 300,000 farmers indirectly and create employment for over 4,700 youth and women.

“The project is determined to achieve sustainable farming by building a strong and efficient potato seed system that enhances farmer’s access to high quality seed of appropriate varieties,” he said.

The Alliance for a Green Revolution Reports that on average only about 20 per cent of farmers in Africa use seeds of improved varieties.

However, in the last two years, farmers who have used certified seeds have doubled their yields from two million to four million mega tonnes of cereals, soya beans and groundnuts. In monetary terms this resulted in Sh220bn in income for the smallholder farmers.

Potato farmers have been grappling with a lack of certified seeds and have been forced to recycle those from past harvests.

Experts have attributed this to low yields as the seeds are often diseased. 

“The insufficient availability of certified seeds and poor agronomic practices have also been associated with reduced yields.

To enable an inclusive market and trade, Mr Kaguongo observed that the project is establishing inclusive and structured market inputs and outputs and facilitating access to financial services and trade opportunities for smallholder potato farmers.

Director of Crop Resources Management in the State Department for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Mr. Douglas Kangi, underscored the project’s alignment with the bottom-up economic model adding that it is aimed at empowering small-scale farmers through different initiatives.