Potato

Round Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is an easy-to-grow tuber that offers food security and commercial benefits to farmers. Its array of cuisines and growing demand places farmers to reap (3) fold higher incomes from its production than other staples. However, potato quantities remain relatively low due to challenges in production capacity, low availability of quality seed, shifting climate systems.

Addressing this challenge in Kisoro District, through climate-proof approaches and a sustainable market is KDPGCU, a CRAFT business champion.

Key Interventions

Enhance the capacity of 3,000 smallholder farmers to improve potato output by 15% through climate-smart agronomy, linkages to input suppliers, and mechanized farming by 2022.
Improve resilience to climate Change amongst targeted farmers through the promotion of appropriate climate-smart agricultural practices.
Improve efficiency in soybean inputs delivery, agronomy, and markets access
Improve business turnover by at least 10% through developing new market channels and increasing volumes of soybean marketed.

About the Business Champion

Kisoro District Potato Growers Cooperative Union Limited (KDPGCU) was established in 2014 and is registered by the Ministry of Trade Industry and Cooperatives. The company has a membership of 4,122 farmers operating in 12 cooperative societies for efficiency.

KDPGCU’s business model depends on the distribution of inputs, provision of extension services, and the collective purchase and marketing of potatoes. Most of its potato is supplied in markets such as the Kalerwe market in Kampala, institutions, restaurants, and supermarkets. The union also distributes potatoes to Rwanda.

Low production and productivity in Round Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is often associated with insufficiencies in farmers' capacities. Rarely is extreme climate seen as a serious threat that requires addressing with urgency. As a result, issues on climate are not given the seriousness they deserve; yet the shifts in weather across Tanzania, have shown to compromise the yield of not only potatoes but other commercial and food crops. With an appropriate focus on climate, the associated challenges can be fixed, and farmers can improve yield and earn higher incomes.

Round Potato (Solanum tuberosum) offers food security to Kenya’s population and commercial benefits to smallholder farmers. However, varied weather patterns due to climate change affect its yields and quality.

The partnership that CRAFT has with FreshCrop Co. Ltd is mainly guided by 3 objectives 1) integrating climate smart practises in the production of ware potato, 2) offering bundled climate-smart services to deliver greater value to smallholder farmers and 3) enhancing opportunities from partnerships and structured markets for the benefit of smallholders.

The partnership between CRAFT and Starlight Farmers’ Cooperative Society Ltd aims to develop climate proof approaches in the potato value chain by promoting greater awareness and facilitating the uptake of climate smart service delivery at the smallholder farmer level.