© CIP Members of the Nandi Potato Cooperative Society weigh their seed potato harvest at their farm in Nandi County. (photo: CIP) NANDI POTATO COOPERATIVE DRIVING POTATO TO AN ENTERPRISING COMMERCIAL CROP In 2015, Nandi County with These small allocations were primarily because potato was not a traditional nor staple food among communities. It used more its vast agricultural land and for snacking, and, as such, there was a limited market for this crop. There was also lack of awareness and knowledge on its potential had only about 70 potential as a cash crop, compounded by diseases – late blight farmers growing potatoes and bacterial wilt – and the associated poor yields witnessed on the few farms in the county. on about 70 hectares (ha), However, with its cool climate, ample sunshine and well-drain- ing soils, Nandi County has high potential for potato produc- according to Silas Too, tion. These characteristics caught the attention of the Ac- the potato value chain celerated Value Chain Development (AVCD) program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development coordinator for the Nandi (USAID)/Feed the Future. In this project, the International Po- tato Center (CIP) leads implementation of AVCD’s potato value County Government. chain component, which in 2016 became the turning point in the transformation of potato in Nandi, from an orphaned crop to a highly enterprising commercial crop. After in depth assessments of the potato value chain Through the ward agricultural officers (WAOs), CIP in Nandi County, AVCD identified access to certified created awareness, sensitized and trained farmers on seed as the main constraint to unleashing the high good agricultural practices (GAP), postharvest handling potential of potato farming in Nandi County. In response, and farming as a business. In 2016 alone, Nancy Chebii, AVCD embarked on seed system development by WAO, Ollessos Ward and Francis Omamo, WAO, Emgwen supporting farmer groups to produce certified seed Ward trained 600 and 200 farmers respectively on GAP. and to teach them how to save quality seed on farm This training was conducted at learning farms hosted by a using specific technologies. Initially, AVCD adopted an progressive farmer established in each ward. The trainings informal seed system approach by vetting progressive and field days generated a lot of interest among the farmers to become seed multipliers to decentralize seed farmers. The cost-benefit analyses opened farmers’ eyes to production, as there was no seed production in Nandi. the profitability of potato farming in the County. By the end AVCD support to the seed businesses included extensive of 2018, in partnership with Farm Input Promotions Africa, technical capacity development through training and 10,223 farmers were applying productivity enhancing follow-up one-on-one technical backstopping at the technologies because of exposure to GAP at learning farms seed production sites; providing starter material – basic or having received a promotional pack of certified seed to seed and apical cuttings to produce certified seed; and observe on farm the benefits of good seed. supporting establishment of diffused light stores for storage and breaking seed dormancy. Consistently using certified seed as starter material for onward multiplication and quality assurance were the major bottlenecks to the seed multiplier approach. To resolve this, seed system development followed the formal seed approach to produce certified seed. A seed unit was established with AVCD linking and supporting the progressive farmers to produce certified seed by linking them the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC- Molo) – a licensed potato seed merchant - to produce certified seed as an outgrower under their merchant’s license. “Armed with certified seed of improved potato varieties and applying GAP, farmers have since seen their farm productivity increase more than 10-fold from as low as 2.4 tonnes/ha to 29 tonnes/ha,” states Chebii adding, “Potato is emerging as a food security and enterprising cash crop in Nandi with some farmers shifting from maize and dairy farming to potato farming. Potato is now a priority crop, a household crop and staple food alongside Ugali and milk in the County.” AVCD experimented with a tough but sustainable option to support market system development: formation and empowerment of a locally-owned farmer producer organization that would not only ensure members had timely access to adequate quantities of quality certified seed, but also a good market for their seed and ware potato. The idea was supported by 16 of the pioneering potato farmers who mobilised themselves into the Nandi Potato Farmers’ Cooperative Society (NPFCS). Knowing the strength of a cooperative was in membership, the cooperative, with support from AVCD, the County Government and other stakeholders, embarked on NPFCS official receiving the Seed Merchant License from a KEPHIS official (photo: J. Sugut/Nandi Potato) Silas Too, potato value chain coordinator, Nandi County Government (photo: W. Ojanji/East African Standard) aggressive membership registration drives at the County The cooperative went on to obtain authorisation from offices during field days and training events. These Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation efforts resulted in a membership increase from 30 by (KALRO) to multiply and commercially sell their Shangi and end of 2017 to more than 1,600 registered members in Dutch Robyjin varieties. They cooperative further obtained 2021. Of those members today, 150 had already paid the permission from CIP to multiply and commercially sell full membership fee of Ksh 6,000 (USD 60). The target Lenana, Unica Nyota, Wanjiku and Konjo varieties. is to register at least 5,000 members as per the Nandi It has been indeed a steady rise in area under seed Cooperative Business Plan 2019-2021, according to Philip multiplication for the Cooperative, from 1.6 ha at first Keter, the Cooperative manager. planting in 2018 to 7.3 ha in 2020. According to Too, the cooperative has had a huge impact In 2020, the cooperative made a profit of Ksh 2 million on seed availability in Nandi County. With support (USD 20,000) from an investment of Ksh 6 million, that from AVCD, the County Government, and the National generated revenues of Ksh 9 million mainly from seed Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Project (NARIGP), the sales. There are expectations for higher profits in 2021 cooperative started multiplying and supplying certified as after bulking 2.7 tonnes of starter seed, according to the an outgrower under the ADC-Molo seed merchant license Cooperative Manager. in 2017. With capacity building initiatives undertaken by CIP and other partners such as KEPHIS on certification The NPFCS manager appreciates the good capacity and GAP, the cooperative has been able to meet and building initiatives undertaken by CIP and other comply with certified seed requirements and regulations. partners such as KEPHIS on certification and GAP, Consequently, in April 2021, KEPHIS granted NPFCS a seed NARIGP and County Government on governance and merchant license to autonomously produce certified seed. leadership, and market access and linkages, and CIP As a result of the capacity building initiatives of the on training in development of seed business plans, cooperative and supporting farmers to realise the benefits business management and proposal writing. The County of the crop, potato farming has spread to 30 wards in six Government also issued certified seed worth Ksh 1.25 sub counties in Nandi County, from less than 10 wards million (USD 12,500) and Ksh 1.5 million (USD 15,000) in two sub counties. “The area under potato in Nandi in 2018 and 2019 respectively to 25 farmers groups in County has increased 27-fold over the last 5 years from approximately 70 to greater than 1,900 ha. Potato has the County for multiplication. In addition, the County emerged as one of the most promising enterprises and Government has also provided machinery (two tractors prioritized value chain crops in the County,” says Too. and implements, disc plough, harrow, bed former, planter, and harvester) worth USD 80,000 (From left) Jacob Mutai, James Serem, chief, Ollessos Location (both founding members of Nandi Cooperative), and Philip Keter, Manager, Nandi Cooperative preparing to plant Unica at the farm of Richard Songok, assistant chief, Mogooni sub Location, Ollessos in September 2021 (photo: W. Ojanji/East African Standard) Authors Dinah Borus (CIP) • d.borus@cgiar.org Wandera Ojanji (ILRI) • w.ojanji@cgiar.org M. Parker (CIP) • m.parker@cgiar.org CIP thanks all donors and organizations that globally support its work through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund. https://www.cgiar.org/funders/ © December 2021. This publication is copyrighted by the International Potato Center (CIP). It is licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License