By Mary Mwendwa
An analysis of activities of the young potato farmers in Nyanduarua and West Pokot reveals that these farmers not only lack certified potato seeds but also struggle to get finances to fund their farming activities.
Once the product is ready, they are always in a perennial struggle to find markets for their produce. If they are lucky to find these markets, they are in most cases exploitative and informally organized. Coupled with inadequate knowledge, technology and storage, and uncoordinated random agricultural advice, these challenges continue to jeopardize youth participation in Kenya’s potato sector.
It’s a case of a vicious cycle. A young ambitious farmer will often start by sourcing high-quality certified seeds. They would then plant these seeds using the recommended seed rate of 1.15 tons per hectare per season. However, once the crop is ready, they struggle to face the exploitative informally organized market that eats away their anticipated profit.
To make ends meet, they cut costs and resort to traditional farming methods such as planting recycled seed from previous harvests as opposed to high-quality certified seeds. This leads to lower yields season after season and ultimately poor profits.
Seeking out solutions through evidence and engagement
In a bid to advance these young farmers’ meaningful participation in agribusiness, the Centre for African Bio-Entrepreneurship (CABE) under the auspices of Utafiti Sera House III on Youth Employment Creation (YEC) in agribusiness and agro-processing in Kenya conducted research. The aim was to support evidence-informed policymaking for the creation of employment opportunities for the youth in the potato sector.
The study and its findings are timely, as the country seeks to address Youth unemployment and Food security. Kenya’s unemployment for the youth aged between 15-34 years is currently the highest in East Africa reported at 39.1 percent according to national statistics by the Kenya National Bureau of statistics.
Also, potatoes are the country’s second most important food crop after maize. Despite being grown by 800,000 smallholders including the youth across 21 counties in Kenya, the National Potato Strategy reports that the demand for potatoes in Kenya is still high and unmet.
If a solution is found to the challenges facing these young potato farmers, the country stands a chance of killing two birds with one stone!
The chain solution: Improving potato seed systems > Improving access to markets > Providing affordable financing
Improvement of potato seed holds the key to transforming potato agribusiness, meeting the high demand for ware potatoes, and increasing the annual production of potatoes which is currently 3 million tons in two growing seasons.
Achieving a strong seed system will require the country to develop or implement policies that support the growth of the potato sector. These policies would create a favorable environment that would encourage and incentivize farmers to produce certified seeds and provide coordinated extension activities as was provided by subject matter specialists in recent years.
The gains will for example create jobs for the youth in various activities within the potato industry such as soil analysis, seed production, weeding, spraying, repair and maintenance, harvesting, transportation, value addition, aggregation, marketing, and training, among others.
However, with improved seeds will come higher seed prices. Inculcating a savings culture would enhance the youth’s access to finances to buy certified quality seed potato, training, and adoption of technology such as digital platforms.
Such policies would also help establish more structured and stronger information systems and markets for the increased production. Efficient information systems will enable the youth to share market information, search for markets, and communicate with their existing and prospective buyers.
A seed is the smallest unit of production, yet with great capabilities. A seed can grow into a plant, yield an entire plantation, provide food, create employment, and bring income to farmers. But are all seeds good? And what could go wrong if a farmer plants the wrong seed?
I will answer this question using the case of potato farmers in Nyandarua and West Pokot. The two counties are major potato-growing counties in Kenya and are home to budding young farmers who engage in the production of ware potatoes.
Engaging in potato farming as a business requires a good seed, access to markets, access to finances, and a favorable operating environment.
‘Strengthening seed systems alone will not increase the use of improved seed because demand for potato seed is a derived demand for ware potato. We must fix the marketing and pricing of ware potato – which will then drive the demand for certified potato seed. If farmers get a fair price for their potatoes, they will seek technologies to increase yields including certified seed. Hence, the need for increased seed systems and market development in potato value chain’, Participant of a validation workshop held in Nyandarua County in 2020.
Ultimately a viable, profitable, attractive, productive, and sustainable potato sector will not only transform the lives of farmers in Nyandarua and west Pokot but could also potentially unlock the twin challenges of food security and youth unemployment in Kenya.
Mary Mwendwa is a freelance journalist and editor at www.talkafrica.co.ke
