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Project Record

Objectives:

Promotion of pro-poor strategies to reduce impact of key pests, improve yield and quality of crops, and reduce pesticide hazards in peri-urban systems.

Background:

Lack of access to disease free planting material of improved varieties was identified as a serious constraint to potato production by farmers in Kapchorwa District during the AT(Uganda) LIFE Project Baseline Survey. Other researchers have also found that poor households in Eastern Uganda face two serious problems in potato production, the first is inadequate seed supplies and the second is lack of knowledge to deal effectively with the potential disease threats. This is particularly so in eastern Uganda where farmers rely on unimproved varieties, yet this is the main cash crop of the area, and the third most important food crop. Although a limited quantity of improved potato seed is available through the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) in Uganda, continuous dissemination to the farmer-level is poor. New and higher yielding, more disease tolerant varieties of potato have been developed at Kalengyere Research Station in south-western Uganda. However, multiplying these varieties and getting them into the hands of farmers has been a major challenge to NARO and the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF). Evaluation and adoption trials of potato cultivars are limited to south-western Uganda due primarily to a lack of resources, both human and financial, yet other important potato agro-ecologies occur outside this region. For example, potato production in eastern Uganda now accounts for nearly 20% of the country's total potato production. Unfortunately, this production is largely from unimproved varieties. Alongside the multiplication of improved seed-tubers is the need to monitor seed health and to authenticate a quality assurance to the consumer. Currently, in Uganda no seed certification of potato exists. Implementation of a full certification scheme is not currently within the capacity of the national system, but some measure of health is urgently needed in support of a system advocating improved seed health.

Intended Outputs:

Extension staff, local authorities and farmers trained in potato production, multiplication and storage.

Foundation seed of the new varieties obtained and multiplied by farmer group members; formation of local seed health quality standards.

Multipliers return equal the amount of planting materials received for redistribution and further multiplication.

Process of procurement of clean seed, multiplication and sale of seed-tubers effectively handed over to local branch of the Uganda Seed Potato Producers Association for long-term commercial sustainability. 20 Primary Seed Multipliers were identified and established. The project purchased seed - Victoria variety, from Kalengyere Research Station and loaned it to the Primary Seed Multipliers. These seed multipliers formed themselves into the Kapchorwa Seed Potato Producers' Association (KASPPA), which was registered as a local NGO in 2003.
*20 Primary Seed Multipliers, 4 extension staff, 4 field assistants, 40 Production Committees, members of 8 Parish Development Committees and more than 1,400 farmers were trained in Best Practices, i.e. potato production/multiplication, disease identification/management, and storage. 3,000 copies of the Farmers' Guide on Potato Production were produced and distributed to farmers.
*Crop Best Practices were developed for KASPPA, basically on crop production, disease monitoring/management, storage.
*The seed plot techniques were developed and introduced to farmers using small tubers less than 30mm in diameter. This method is suitable for farmers with limited land.
*1,200 group members received seed for further multiplication using seed plot techniques. In 2004, an additional 210 partner group members also received seed for seed plot production.
*Two artisans were trained to construct diffused light stores (DLS) and thereafter constructed 20 DLS in collaboration with the seed multipliers. The project contributed 50% of the cost and the multipliers contributed the balance.
*A repayment rate of 98% was realised from the seed multipliers. The 2% default arose when some of the tubers were rejected for seed due to bacterial wilt infection.
*Kapchorwa Seed Potato Producers Association (KASPPA) was formed and empowered to handle their own Seed health monitoring procedures including Crop History Sheets, Labelling, and On-farm incubation testing for bacterial wilt.
*Disease threshold standards are being established. Early warning mechanisms have been identified that allow farmers to decide at the mid - season whether a given crop is likely to pass seed health standards or should be diverted for ware consumption. This reduces the loss risk to the multipliers of waiting for the final ELISA and on-farm incubation test results.
*Attempts have been made to monitor bacterial wilt disease among the seed lots using both ELIZA testing and on-farm incubation methods. The data based on the three seasons have shown a high correlation between the two methods.
*Two exchange visits to Kabale and one to Buginyanya research station were organised for the primary multipliers and extension staff/field assistants.
*4 internal exchange visits were organised for the members from 80 groups.
*4 demonstration sites were established - one per sub-county . These were the field day sites for farmers to learn from.
*An impact survey was carried out in September 2004 .The survey results indicate that the project has made an impact among the multipliers and direct beneficiaries in terms of changing production practices, eating patterns, and income sources. As expected, impact has diffused to the neighbouring non-beneficiaries to a greater extent than to non-beneficiaries who are more distant from the project.

Progress and Impact:

Training: Through workshops, end of seasonal evaluations, field days, and exchange visits, production of high quality seed and increased level of proficiency in potato multiplication has been achieved. It proved critical to understand the difference between producing potato for seed and for table. Particularly the need to manage bacterial wilt and also optimise the choice of tuber size for seed as compared to what is best for food. The use of suitable stores (Diffused Light Stores) for seed encourages strong healthy sprouts and resulting plant vigor.

Multiplication: Through a multiplication system which involves basic seed obtained from Kalengyere NARO that is multiplied by the primary seed multipliers using ridge/furrow system under strict monitoring, seed quality has been assured. From the harvested seed, primary multipliers pay back three times the quantity of seed they received. This seed is distributed to numerous small-scale farmers (beneficiaries) who further multiply it for their own use employing small plot techniques. The poor farmers, who had previously failed to access healthy seed potato, now have access to clean seed as a result of this multiplication system. All of the target number of farmers and other partner group members have received the improved seed, Victoria, and they further multiply for one generation, and then produce table potato. Some of this table potato is sold and the money used to purchase clean seed from the primary multipliers. An agreement on disease threshold levels has not yet been finalised with NARO. Best Crop Management Practices have been developed, and are being implemented by the Primary Seed Multipliers.

Distribution: The seed potato distribution has been successfully tracked by the local leaders, i.e. Production Committees (PCs), at the group level, and Parish Development Committees (PDCs) at parish level. The local leaders have been involved in planning, implementing and monitoring the seed distribution. As a result, a total of 1,200 target farmers received the seed. Additional seed was even distributed to 210 members of the partner groups. A total of 330 bags of seed was distributed to small seed plot multipliers. As a result of the further multiplication, it is estimated that 460 acres of potatoes were planted with the seed multiplied under the small plot system - more than the overall project target of 400 acres. The production estimates for season B, 2004, indicate that the seed tubers harvested by small seed plot multipliers can plant 860 acres if all the harvest will be committed to seed. This is much more than the end of project target of 300 acres.

Commercial Sustainability: The seed multipliers formed an association KASPPA, which manages the Crop Best Practices, thus carrying out seed health monitoring to ensure production of high quality seed.

General Notes:

See also the TECA Record Sustainable potato seed-tuber management and marketing through commercialization

Publications:

NAMISI, S. and SMITH, J. (2004) Promoting Potato Seed Tuber Management for increased Ware Yields in Kapchorwa, Eastern Uganda. Paper presented at NARO Conference 1-4 September 2004, Entebbe, Uganda