The document outlines a strategy to improve livelihoods of potato farmers in Africa by addressing deteriorated seed quality through an integrated approach. It proposes outcomes such as increasing yields by at least 50% and incomes by $800/ha/season through developing high-yielding, disease tolerant varieties and providing rapid access to quality seed. The strategy involves participatory variety selection, decentralized seed production systems, on-farm seed quality management, postharvest storage, and awareness campaigns. It will be implemented through partnerships in target countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, and Tanzania. The goal is to establish sustainable potato value chains that improve food security and incomes.

1. CIP’s Potato Strategy for Africa: Improving
Livelihoods of Potato Farmers in Africa by
Tackling Deteriorated Seed Quality
through an Integrated Approach
Parker, M.L, Schulte-Geldermann, E. ,Ortiz. O, Andrade J. Schulz. S., Kakuhenzire, R.,
Demo, P., Lungaho C..
EAPR 2014 Conference, Scientific session “Potato and global food security “Monday 7 July from 14:00 to 16:00

2. Major bottleneck is limited access to quality seed
 Limited access to varieties with robust traits
 Minimal knowledge of good agricultural practices
 Minimal capacity to store tubers (seed and ware)
Development challenge
 Yields average 6-10 t/ha
 Realistic yields in SSA 20-30 t/ha

3. Consultative process including National
programs, private sector, NGOs, farmer
federation, sub-regional organizations,
resulted in a roadmap to guide
investment in potato value chains
Response
Quality seed is the key entry
point for vibrant potato value
chains

4. Improving Livelihoods of Potato Farmers in Sub-
Saharan Africa by Tackling Deteriorated Seed
Quality through an Integrated Approach
Strategic Objective for SSA

5. Proposed Outcomes
High-yielding, disease tolerant
potato varieties
yields by at least 50%
and
income by
US$800/ha/season
Rapid access to quality seed through
an efficient seed system
INCLUSIVE

6. Target countries
Current Target
Ethiopia Rwanda
Kenya Uganda
Malawi Burundi
Mozambique DRC
Tanzania Madagascar
Cameroon
(Nigeria)

7. The flagship and
linked products are
representative of
existing
interventions

8. Robust market-demanded varieties
 Population improvement and variety development
 Tolerance to combinations of major biotic and abiotic
stresses
 User-preferred table, nutritional and processing
qualities
 Engaging farmers in participatory variety evaluations
(agronomic and organoleptic)

9. Seed technologies and business models
Specialised
early
generation
seed
Decentralised
seed
production
National programs
Commercial
enterprises
Improved
access to
quality
seed
Locally available
seed, planted at 2
to 2.5 t/ha
Network of seed
multipliers in potato
producing areas

10. Onward multiplication of
early generation seed
Improve accessibility to quality seed
tissue culture/minitubers/
first field generations
↓
decentralised multipliers
tissue culture
↓
minitubers/first field generations
↓
decentralised multipliers
Decentralised multiplication

11. On-farm seed quality and ICM technologies
 Adaptive research on technologies for on-farm seed
quality management
 ICM and GAP to manage major pests and diseases,
improve productivity
 Postharvest storage for seed and ware potato
producers

12.  Protocols for seed quality control
to complement formal certification
 Quality declared planting material
(QDPM)
 Collaborate to improve seed
certification protocols and
implementation
 Affordable disease diagnostic
tools
Locally adapted protocols for seed quality control

13. Awareness campaigns to create demand
 Raise awareness of the value of potato, quality seed
and improved varieties
 Demand for quality seed potato, farmers recognise
benefits of using quality seed
 Information flow: where, what, when, cost…

14. Scaling strategies and evidence base
 Test and implement methodologies to generate
• innovations on large-scale production and use of
quality seed
• effective linkages among value chain actors
 3G project proof of concept for scaling out integrated
approach to accessing quality seed (Ke, Rw and Ug)
 Country-specific intervention models endorsed and
supported by national authorities

15. Partnerships
Strong partnership and relationships
National programs, NGOs, Private sector,
International institutions, Farmer Groups, SROs
Example private sector: Kisima Farm, Meru Kenya
 Annually produce 200,000 minitubers
 Multiply seed on 80 ha, annually producing 2000
tonnes
 Invested in cold storage facilities (1000 t)
 Seed prices have dropped in Meru region by 25 to 50%
Smallholder seed users have doubled yields

16. Reaching goals, Achieving impact
In Ethiopia, 2 years after project pull-out, communities still
benefiting from intervention to support seed production
• food security clearly improved
• families eating 3 meals a day
• assets increased (purchased oxen)
 Quality seed is key entry point for a vibrant potato sector
 Sustainable development dependant on collaborative action
 Functioning seed systems require investment in knowledge
and infrastructure