Kenya, CIP sign landmark deal to protect potato farmers from crop loss
The agreement introduces a late blight-resistant potato, offering relief to thousands of farmers across Kenya.
KENYA – Kenya has taken a major step to support farmers and strengthen food security by signing a licensing agreement with the International Potato Center (CIP).
The deal allows Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) to produce and distribute a biotech potato variety that resists late blight, a disease responsible for wiping out large portions of potato harvests across the country.
Dr. Eliud Kireger, Director General of KALRO, described the deal as “a significant achievement in developing and delivering impactful, science-driven solutions that directly address the challenges faced by the farmers.”
Late blight disease is one of the leading causes of crop loss in Kenya’s potato-growing regions. It can destroy up to 70 percent of harvests, threatening both livelihoods and national food supply.
Dr. Kireger said the current control methods, such as chemical fungicides, are not only expensive but also hard to access for many smallholder farmers.
“Late blight, a devastating disease, is responsible for up to 70 percent yield losses in potatoes, hence threatening food security and farmers’ livelihoods in Kenya,” he said during the signing ceremony held in Nairobi.
A Boost for Farmers and the Economy
The newly licensed potato variety offers more than just disease resistance. According to Dr. Kireger, it will help Kenya respond to food security needs and improve the incomes of farming families, especially in the face of rising population and the worsening effects of climate change.
Dr. Eric Magembe, a biotechnologist at CIP, said the potato reduces the need for chemical sprays and helps increase productivity.
“By leveraging cutting-edge research, the biotech late blight-resistant potato significantly reduces the need for chemical inputs, enhances productivity, and improves farmers’ resilience to climate-induced agricultural challenges,” he said.
Dr. Magembe explained that late blight affects between 25 to 80 percent of potato farms, depending on the variety. He added that farmers could save about 25 percent of produce and raise their direct incomes by 34 percent after adopting the new variety.
Dr. Moses Nyongesa, who heads the Tigoni research station under KALRO, said farmers in Kenya lose about 300,000 metric tons of potatoes every year due to late blight—losses worth roughly US$50 million or 6.4 billion Kenya Shillings.
“The agreement is a milestone partnership for Kenyan farmers who have been making huge losses after spending lots of money in their farms,” he said.
New lab supports clean crop materials
Meanwhile, Kenya is also setting up a new facility to support healthy planting materials. A modern lab is under construction at Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) in Muguga. Known as the RTB-EAGEL Lab, the facility will handle diagnostics and supply clean planting and breeding materials for crops like potato, cassava, and banana.
“The RTB-EAGEL Lab will support clean planting and breeding material for root, tuber, and banana (RTB) crops,” read an update posted online. Scientist Morag Ferguson is helping lead the work on-site and gave a detailed tour of the facility’s progress.
The lab will use solar energy and is a joint effort between KEPHIS, CIP, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and Germany’s GIZ, supported by CGIAR’s Crop to End Hunger program.
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