Over 150,000 smallholder potato farmers in Kenya will receive training on climate-smart farming practices under a new Sh195 million project aimed at boosting potato productivity and earnings. The initiative, dubbed the Kenya Sustainable Potato Initiative (KSPI), is a joint effort by the National Potato Council of Kenya (NPCK), Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation, and Egerton University. It seeks to improve access to quality inputs, structured markets, and fair prices, while creating job opportunities for more than 4,000 youth and benefiting an additional 300,000 farmers indirectly.
Targeting Nyandarua, Meru, Laikipia, and Nandi counties, the three-year project will strengthen 400 farmer groups and scale up certified seed production to address chronic shortages. With current yields averaging just seven tonnes per hectare—well below the 40-tonne potential—the KSPI aims to triple seed availability, reduce post-harvest losses by 50 per cent, and promote mechanised and sustainable agriculture. Prof Antony Kibe of Egerton University underscored the crop’s economic importance, noting that potato is the second-most consumed food in Kenya and supports over two million people. The project also aligns with Vision 2030 and the government’s bottom-up economic model.
