Kenyan county works to boost its potato production

More than 20 000 smallholder potato farmers in Nakuru County in Kenya are set to benefit from initiatives aligned to climate-smart innovations and technologies to help increase potato production in the country, according to the Kenya News Agency. The increase in production aims to meet domestic consumption and exports.

The Nakuru farmers were growing potatoes of different varieties on about 15 400ha, producing around 160 000t/season.

Governor Susan Kihika said agricultural extension officers were being equipped to train smallholder farmers on the use of modern farm practices, which could help mitigate against climate-related risks, such as floods and droughts, as well as pests and diseases. Due to a lack of certified seed and poor marketing strategies, farmers in Kenya were yielding an average of only 7t/ha, while yields as high as 40t/ha were possible, the news agency said.

On a recent tour of a potato-processing facility in Nakuru, Kihika urged farmers to buy the right seeds.

“The quality of potato seeds is critical because bad seeds will give you poor yields and this will not fetch you good money in the market. As second in production of potatoes in the country, Nakuru County is deliberate in getting farmers to plant the right varieties for the market,” the news agency reported her as saying.

The governor’s administration was working to establish public-private partnerships to help farmers access new markets. It was also working at creating new opportunities for these farmers that aligned with climate-smart farming practices. This type of information was being disseminated through farmers’ field days.

Kenya was also working with research institutions to improve access to certified seed as well as pests and disease prevention and control. –

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Nakuru County is working to ensure that farmers here can produce higher potato yields to meet domestic demand and for export.