New grain-sized seeds revolutionise Kenya's potato farming landscape

 [Rachel Kibui, Standard]

Potato farmers often struggle with access to clean seeds due to frequent acute shortages and high costs.

Farmers often rely on selected seeds from the previous season for planting.

However, saving seeds is challenging due to inadequate storage facilities, and farmers are often tempted to consume the seeds, especially during periods of food scarcity.

Additionally, saved seeds and those sourced from other farmers are at high risk of contamination with pests and diseases, compromising the quality and quantity of production.

Transporting potato seeds from one region to another is also costly, especially when they are ferried in bulk by road, given the high cost of fuel. 

 [Rachel Kibui, Standard]

Climate change, characterised by erratic weather patterns, has further exacerbated the problem, causing significant losses for farmers who lose their potato seeds to weather-related disasters such as floods or prolonged dry spells.

Farmers need access to seeds at the right time, yet this is often difficult, especially when they have been unable to save seeds from the previous season.

“I rely on laboratory-produced seeds, but I have to grow the initial seeds, harvest them, and plant again to harvest produce,” says a farmer from Nyandarua. This, he adds, is not only costly but also time-consuming.

However, a Netherlands-based company has introduced an innovative solution—producing tiny potato seeds that are the size of tomato seeds.

Just 25 grams of these true potato seeds—seeds from potato fruits, which breeders can use to develop new varieties—are sufficient to plant 2.5 acres, whereas the same size of land would typically require 2.5 tonnes of traditional potato seeds.

While transporting conventional potato seeds requires a sizeable truck, true potato seeds can be carried in a small container or even a sachet. The price of the seeds is comparable to the price of seed tubers in Kenya.

Established 68 years ago, Solynta has been conducting research on true potato seeds for decades.

“For potato farming to become sustainable and profitable, farmers must have access to true seeds,” says Charles Miller, the company’s director of strategic alliances and development. 

Solynta Director of Strategic Alliances and Development Charles Miller displays a harvest of one of the firm's varieties. [Rachel Kibui]

Speaking in Nairobi recently, Mr Miller said the company had released three varieties of true potato seeds: SOLHY 007, SOLHY 012, and SOLHY 015, with the latter being highly resistant to late blight, a common, but devastating fungus disease in Kenya.

“Our focus is on ensuring that farmers spend less money on seeds and chemicals, access them easily, and maximise their harvests to increase income and improve livelihoods,” says Miller, adding that true seeds are available in agro-shops, particularly in potato-growing regions.

Farmers do not have to buy seeds every planting season. After the first planting, they can select and replant seeds for the following season.

However, Mr Miller advises against replanting seeds for more than two seasons, as this increases the risk of crop diseases.

The process of planting true potato seeds involves first growing them in a nursery for 3-4 weeks before transplanting them into the field.

The seedlings should be planted in loose, heaped-up soil mixed with compost. Since true seeds are free from contamination, they require minimal input use, significantly reducing production costs.

This seed system also presents employment opportunities, especially for young people. Even those with limited land can specialise in producing seedlings for sale during the planting season, thereby creating additional opportunities along the value chain.

At Molly Farm in Limuru, the concept of true potato seeds has been successfully adopted, with the management reporting positive outcomes.

Like many other regions, late blight has been a major challenge, but the SOLHY 015 variety with enhanced late blight resistance has provided a sustainable solution.

This technology is also being introduced in Eastern Europe, where access to seeds is a significant challenge. In Africa, it is gaining traction in countries such as Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, South Africa, Zambia, and Malawi, among others.