How Africa, European Union partnership is boosting potato technologies for income and nutrition security in rural Kenya

BY BEN MOSES ILAKUT

 

NAKURU—KENYA: Only four months since ASARECA and its national level partners introduced proven climate smart potato varieties to farmers in Marioshoni, Elbergon in Nakuru County and Murungaru in Nyandarua county of Kenya, results posted by the game-changing varieties, Shangi, Unica, and Wanjiku have caused excitement.

 

According to Mr. Elias Kamau, a researcher of the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), Rooted apical cuttings (RACs) are superior technology to planting potato tubers because they produce higher quality, disease-free seed, significantly boosting the number of tubers per cutting, accelerating the availability of new potato varieties, and streamlining seed multiplication to two seasons compared to three or four for tuber-based systems. This efficiency makes seed potato production more climate smart, economical and accessible, hence providing a prime business opportunity for seed producers and improving incomes for farmers.

 

 

Bumper harvest

In August 2025, ASARECA and partners organized a farmer-field-day to harvest and evaluate the performance of the varieties in the target areas, promote learning by hearing from the farmers on productivity improvements, further disseminate the varieties, and agree on next steps on scaling seed for this priced varieties.

 

Findings at the joint harvest indicate that the 6,279 rooted apical (potato) cuttings earlier provided to farmer groups to establish farmer-led demonstration plots in Nakuru and Nyandarua counties, posted an impressive harvest of 105,622 tubers of basic seed (high quality seed) within one season.

 

“The RAC were planted on a third of an acre just in May 2025 and by August we are counting an exponential harvest by any standards we have witnessed here,” says Mr. Elias Kamau, a researcher of the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO). “These tubers are primarily seed and are adequate to plant 6 acres in the second season, which will yield approximately 1,213,476 Class 1 tubers under good agronomic practices, including correct use of fertilizer, weeding and appropriate moisture conditions.”

“This will push the seed potential in terms of acreage to 67 acres during the 2026 planting,” Dr. Joshua Okonya, ASARECA’s programme Officer coordinating the national partners in the initiative projects.

Researchers explain the growth

Farmers display one of their favorites, Unica during the harvest

 

According to Henry Chemjor, researcher, National Potato Council of Kenya (NPCK), in Nakuru alone, overall, 2,880 rooted apical cuttings were planted on 0.15 acres, which produced 39,792 tubers of basic seed. “This has a potential to plant 2.5 acres in the next season, which is projected to increase tuber-based class 1 seed to 464,016, resulting in exponential availability of seed to farmers covering approximately 25.5 acres in one county in the next year,” he observes. “In Nyandarua, the tuber seed potential is due to increase to 749,460 Class 1 tubers in two seasons and this will provide farmers enough stock to plant up to 40.75 acres in the next year.”

 

According to a study commissioned under the Strengthening Agricultural Knowledge and the Innovation Ecosystem for Inclusive Rural Transformation and Livelihoods in Eastern Africa (AIRTEA) Project, a five-year European Union funded initiative which is ending in this year (2025), the most preferred potato varieties by smallholder farmers in Kenya are Shangi, Unica, Wanjiku, Sherekea, and Markies among others. Nevertheless, one of the main challenges that farmers have been facing is access to quality seed.  “As a result of low supply, farmers still use own saved seed, which have low yields and are prone to diseases,” says Dr. Wachira Kaguongo, the Chief Executive Officer NCPK. “The formation of this sub-regional initiative around the potato was meant to address the challenge of seed.”

 

“We have seen that the best performing variety, Wanjiku, produced between 18 to 45 tubers, while the second performing variety Shangi produced 14 to 25 tubers. This is far much better than what we get when we plant tubers of the same varieties sourced from the open markets,” says Felix Taraiya one of the farmers in Naankuru. “There is no doubt that we are adopting the RAC approach.”

 

Another farmers Ms Rebecca Kuria says, “The benefits of RAC are convincing. First it is early maturing, second it is less burdensome compared to managing mini tubers and it cuts off the incidence of pests and diseases, and thirdly, it yields far much better than traditional methods…” after planting the tubers twice, I am more likely to buy the cuttings, since it makes more business benefit.”

Establishment of farmer led demonstration plots

Based on the foregoing, ASARECA in collaboration with NPCK, KALRO, Egerton University, and FiPs-Africa established demonstration plots using the RAC technology to multiply the market demanded potato varieties to members of potato cooperatives or Innovation Platforms in Nyandarua and Nakuru counties.

Given the urgent need to strengthen the potato value chain, ASARECA, FiPs-Africa, KALRO, Egerton University and the National Potato Council of Kenya on April 28 to May 1, 2025 supplied RAC cuttings of the varieties including Shangi, Unica, and Wanjiku; 200 kgs of fertilizer and assorted pesticides to farmers to establish farmer-managed potato demonstration plots. The consortium partners also provided the value chain actors including farmers, agro-input dealers, ward agricultural officers, seed multipliers, and village-based agents training on the benefits of RAC and on good agronomic practices for seed potato production. This was followed with practical demonstration sessions and actual establishment of potato plots for the identified varieties.  

 

Winning partnerships and leveraging resources

ASARECA’s value addition to Agricultural Research for Development is in its role of bringing together various stakeholders, resources, and competencies to make the best of innovations in agricultural research.

 

“The prospect to demonstrate the potential of this technology would have probably waited longer had it not been for the generous support of development partners—the European Union and IFAD, which made available resources to support this downstream initiative through the CAADP-XP4 Programme; and the World Bank through the AICCRA Project,” ASARECA Executive Director, Dr. Sylvester Dickson Baguma notes.

 

“The initiative directly contributes to CAADP-XP4 project activities focusing on strengthening capacities of innovation platforms to scale up proven CSA Technologies, Innovations and Management Practices (TIMPs), establishing and implementing multi-stakeholder partnerships for innovation, promoting policies in support of climate-relevant agriculture and food systems transformation, increasing investments and advocacy and market linkages among others,” ASARECA Programme Officer for Policy, Ms Julian Barungi explains the development partners role. “The initiative also received support from World Bank through the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) Project, which also aims at mitigating the effects of climate change through CSA interventions.”

 

“The collaboration of KALRO—a national research institution with FIPs-Africa—an extension organization, Egerton University—an institution of higher education, and ASARECA—a sub-regional organization of the Governments is significant in taking technologies to the ultimate clients—the farmer,” says Dr. Dr. Joshua, Okonya, ASARECA Programme Officer for Technologies and Innovation.  “By working with researchers and development agencies, the farmers of Nakuru and Nyandarua are refining and embracing the technologies and contributing to national and global development goals, especially goals that are made possible through agricultural innovation.”

Convinced by the new technology, Nyandarua Chief agricultural Officer, Mr. Kamau Gitaka has committed to advocate for Government funding to the tune of Ksh. 12.5 million (about USD 98,000) to support farmers to buy starter packs of RAC from established propagators.

 

Why Potato?

Potato is a cornerstone crop in Africa’s food systems. In Kenya, potato ranks as the second most important food crop after maize. Its consumption has grown steadily over the years, solidifying its place as both a dietary staple and a crucial source of income for a large portion of the population. The potato is highly valued for its versatility, ability to thrive in the Kenyan highlands, and its role in ensuring food security. It is a key ingredient in many local dishes and is also widely consumed in processed forms like chips and crisps.

 

“In terms of production and economic impact, approximately 800,000 farmers, primarily small-scale farmers, cultivate potatoes, contributing significantly to the national economy,” says Dr. Eliud Kireger, KALRO Director General. “In terms of per capita consumption, potato consumption per capita in Kenya reached 31.3 kg in 2021 with future projections showing that the demand for potato will reach 1.4 million metric tons by 2026.”

 

Emphasis on quality seed

KALRO scientist, Mr. Elias Kamau, who has been instrumental in providing backstopping and providing training to farmers explains the emphasis on seed: “Poor seed leads to poor harvest. Quality seeds have the potential of increasing yield by 50%…It is for this reason that we as a consortium are providing high quality seed certified by the relevant authorities, from which we expect to increase harvest multiple times.

Building on EU complementary initiatives

This initiative builds on earlier development work undertaken by consortium partners to provide training on Best Agronomic Practices under the AIRTEA project supported by the Organization of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) through the ACP Innovation Fund, which is also funded by the European Union (EU). The AIRTEA project was implemented by ASARECA, FARA and the East African Framers Association.

During the establishment of on-farm demonstration plots in April 2025 by critical stakeholders, it was anticipated that farmer managed demonstration plots would enhance knowledge and capacity of farmers on profitable innovative and rapid multiplication technologies to produce certified seed potato.  The demo plots were also expected to be used as farmer training centers on good agronomic practices (GAP) of seed and ware production thereby enhancing the capacity of small holder farmers to adopt innovations and technologies for potato production.

 

Huge potential

These initial results demonstrate the exponential potential of the RAC technology in increasing productivity and resilience of farmers to climate change through proven fast maturing and highly productive technologies.

 

Since 2008 ASARECA has been promoting the use of Innovation Platforms approach as a framework for scaling out its proven gender responsive and climate smart agricultural Technologies, Innovations and Management Practices in its 15 member countries. ASARECA has been providing oversight and technical backstopping to key stakeholders involved in facilitation of agricultural commodity-based IPs in ECA. This includes strengthening the capacity of commodity-based Innovation Platforms to enhance technology demand articulation and prioritization of research action and scaling of innovation.