According to potato experts from ten Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries working together in a community of practice (CoP) over a 3-years period, potato farmers across SSA can increase their current annual production of 10.8 million metric tons by 140% if they had access to high quality seed along with improved management practices. This paper describes this innovative new methodology tested on potato for the first time, combining modelling and a comprehensive online survey through a CoP. The intent was to overcome the paucity of experimental information required for crop modelling. Researchers, whose data contributed to estimating model parameters, participated in the study using Solanum, a crop model developed by the International Potato Center (CIP). The first finding was that model parameters estimated through participatory modelling using experts’ knowledge were good approximations of those obtained experimentally. The estimated yield gap was 58 Mg ha-1, of which 35 corresponded to a research gap (potential yield minus research yield) and 24 to farmers’ gap (research yield minus farmer’s yield). Over a 6-month period, SurveyMonkey, a Web-based platform was used to assess yield gap drivers. The survey revealed that poor quality seed and bacterial wilt were the main yield gap drivers as perceived by survey respondents.

ABSTRACT:-Small scale farming systems in the Western Highlands of Cameroon (WHC) are influenced by many factors. Understanding the determinants that influence the system is essential when targeting appropriate intervention strategies for improvement. A field survey was carried out and analysed to understand the forces that drive the farming systems in this area. The impacts of farming practices on farm sustainability were used as indicators to score sustainability. The results revealed that the household characteristics were very similar across the villages while the sustainability differed depending on the intensity of off-farm inputs in the production systems and other socio-economic factors. Sustainability had significant negative relationships with the intensity of land use, off-farm inputs, and sole cropping practice and a positive relationship with the age of the head of the household. The determinants of the system which explained 62.15% of the total variation of sustainability in the study area were grouped to indicate a number of underlying common factors influencing sustainability. The villages of the WHC had much in common and could benefit equally from the same improved technologies and recommendations.

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Open Agriculture. 2017; 2: 600-610 bean genotypes and most of their interactions. Significant correlations were found between all germination variables and between most growth parameters. From the effect of salt application, the common bean genotypes namely KEB-CB049, KEB-CB053 and Mac-33 were the most tolerant while KEB-CB055 and KEB-CB050 were the most sensitive. The results confirm that there is genotypic variation in salinity tolerance and that the most tolerant genotypes should be further explored in selection programs, with the aim that they should be promoted for cultivation in tropical zones affected by salinity.

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