Productivity and food security effects of using of certified seed potato: the case of Kenya’s potato farmers

Abstract

Background: Potato is a major food crop in the tropical regions of Africa. However, potato yields continue to remain very low in these regions mainly due to use of poor quality seed. The recent development of rapid seed multiplication technique has helped to shorten the duration of certified seed potato (CSP) production and increase the supply of seed. This study assessed the effect of using CSP on yield, input use, and food security among smallholder farmers. It focused on potato growers in central highlands of Kenya, who were in close proximity to a private seed multiplier that uses these new techniques. The study used the propensity score matching technique and data collected from 408 smallholder farmers through personal interviews. The farmers were stratified by use of CSP. Results: The study found positive effect of using certified seed on both yield and food security. There was also a slight increase in input usage, apparently due to pursuit by farmers to optimize the gains from CSP. Conclusion: The study concludes that using CSP has positive effect on smallholder farm households.

Seed Potato Production Practices and Quality of Farm Saved Seed Potato in Kiambu and Nyandarua Counties in Kenya

“…All the farmers used own farm saved seed tubers while few accessed certified seed potato from research institutions. These results corresponds to the findings by [4,5] who reported that the informal seed system is the main means of seed acquisition in Eastern Africa and over 98% of the farmers used seed potato either from either own fields, neighbours and local markets. In addition, [18] and [35] reported that less than 5% of farmers in Eastern Africa used certified seed potato.…”

“…Some farmers had been involved in potato production for a short duration suggesting diversification of crops from subsistence to market based farming as they increasingly took up production of the crop [10,32]. Studies by [4] revealed high profits accrued from potato production for those farmers who have access to certified seed potato and shifted potato production from subsistence to agribusiness. Longer duration of involvement in potato production could be attributed to higher yields of potato compared to cereals in a limited land area in these agro-ecologies [8].…”

“…21 most important attribute since seed borne diseases cause the highest losses [4,16,17]. Due to limited supply of certified seed, most farmers recycle seed tubers for many seasons causing an overall decline in seed quality due to accumulation of seed borne diseases such as potato viruses through seed degeneration [11].…”

“…The bulkiness of seed potato being vegetatively propagated and centralized production are among key factors limiting adequate seed supply in Kenya forcing farmers to use informal seed supply means [36]. Limited supply of certified seed potato forces farmers to use informal means in seed acquisition which supplies seed tubers that are of poor quality with high prevalence of seed borne diseases hence low yields [4].…”

“…Due to limited supply of certified seed potato, the main challenge facing potato production in Kenya is use of poor quality seed potato tubers that are highly contaminated with seed borne diseases [3,4]. The informal seed potato supply system made up of farm saved, seed exchanges by farmers and local markets is the main channel of acquiring seed potato tubers in developing countries and it accounts for over95% of seed potato volumes used [5,6,7,8].…”