Introduction

The Regional Network for Improvement of potatoes and sweetpotatoes (PRAPACE) co-ordinates regional research and developmental activities of the two commodities in east and central Africa. The importance of the network is best underscored by the role it plays regionally to add value to what is being done by the various institutions of the member countries in areas of research, capacity building, technology transfer, information exchange and linkages with partners. These efforts will help enable the commodities to be competitive and to positively impact the lives of the people in the region through improved food security, nutrition and income.

Potatoes and sweetpotatoes are among the most efficient commodities for converting natural resources, labor and capital into a high quality food. Because of their short duration, they are very strategic at mitigating food crisis in disaster situations and offer opportunities to grow more nutritious food on less land in relatively short growing period. Over the past few decades, production of both crops has increased faster than the human population growth in the east and central African region, in particular and in sub-Saharan Africa, in general. However, their yields per unit land area are low by any standards. The major contributing factors are poor varieties, diseases, insect pests, poor soils, and unfavorable weather conditions. The critical shortage of seed/planting material and inadequate extension services are also a major constraint to the expansion of the crops. There is need to address these problems effectively and efficiently at a regional level in a manner that avoids or minimizes duplication of efforts.

PRAPACE under the auspices of ASARECA supports National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in the ten ASARECA member countries and strengthens links with partners to bring about impact in the region. Highlights of these activities are given below for the period October 2001 to September 2002. Starting next phase, reporting will be strictly according to the revised hierarchy of objectives of PRAPACE and their indicators that are in line with the ASARECA strategic plan and with the SO of REDSO/ESA Regional Food Security. During this phase, however, reporting will combine the revised indicators and the product-chain approach approved in 1998 for the current phase.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded PRAPACE. The network linked to the International Potato Center (CIP), networks, programs and projects (NPPs), NGOs and other partners. CIP provided backstopping for the flow of improved germplasm, training, scientific information as well as other technical and administrative supports.

Steering Committee (SC) meeting
(Highlights of presentations will be given here and details latter in the report)

The PRAPACE Steering Committee met once on 19-22 June 2002 in Nairobi, Kenya.

SC members, selected researchers of the national programs, CIP, USAID/REDSO, representatives of NPPs and the private sector attended the meeting. The represented private sectors presented interesting papers in the areas of production, processing and marketing. The presentations vividly showed that sweetpotato known for a long time only as a subsistence crop is now becoming a commercial crop with a niche export market to Europe. Horticultural Exporters Association of Uganda (Hortexa) revealed that they export fresh sweetpotato storage roots to Europe with a bulk of it going to UK. The discussion after this particular presentation revealed that the challenge would be a constant supply of quality storage roots in quantities needed by the markets. We created contact with Hortexa this year, but agreed to collaborate in future, to which PRAPACE will put some money. Up to the time of the meeting, no money was given by PRAPACE.

A presentation by Maganjo Millers, a milling firm in Uganda, showed that they with the support of NARO and PRAPACE developed a porridge product called nutri-porridge that contains sweetpotatoes, maize and groundnuts (see section 3.7.1 for details). This new product outshined the best-selling standard porridge products of the firm. Packaging of the product was discussed at length and agreed that it should show that sweetpotato is one of the ingredients and it should be attractive to consumers within and outside of Uganda. PRAPACE also supports NARO and Maganjo to do research on packaging to promote market and improve food quality.

A presentation by the Buganda Cultural and Development Foundation (BUCADEF), a local NGO of the Buganda Kingdom, showed that nine districts in the kingdom are multiplying improved varieties of SP with a special emphasis on orange-fleshed types. It was also pointed out that the queen of the kingdom advised the Buganda people to grow and consume more orange-fleshed SP to alleviate vitamin A deficiency (VAD) related diseases (details in section 3.5.2).

The status and progress of collaborative research, capacity building, challenges and opportunities, and future trends were discussed in view of the changing approaches of both ASARECA and REDSO. During its closed session, the SC deliberated on several technical and administrative issues and gave guidance to PRAPACE coordination unit. Among the important ones were to strengthen capacity building of the member NARS.

Research and Development Activities

All the 19 subproject proposals, with several activities under each one, approved in Arusha-Tanzania in May 2001, were implemented in member countries and their progresses evaluated and reviewed. Of the 19 main subprojects, ten are on potatoes and nine on sweetpotato. The major outcomes are highlighted below.

Product chain for Potatoes: Seed potato (Table 1)

Cognizant of the importance of clean seed in potato production, the network collaborated with NARS and CIP in building farmers’ capacity to produce clean seed on their farms. Formal sectors to multiply and distribute clean seed are lacking in almost all member countries for this vegetatively propagated crop. To alleviate the chronic shortage of improved seed, informal farmer-based seed systems have been established in nine of the ten PRAPACE member countries with the exception of Eritrea. In Rwanda they are referred to as ‘Les associations’ numbering over 240 of them with each comprising on average 20 members. Improved seed produced by such sectors during the reporting period in eight of the member countries was at least 29, 220 tons (some estimates included), showing a 101% increase as compared to the 14,515 tons produced in 2001. At least 205, 500 farmers accessed improved seed in eight PRAPACE countries; information from Eritrea and Sudan was not available at the time of reporting. Some farmers got clean seed directly from research centers, while others accessed through farmer seed producers. Although the amount of clean seed produced by the informal sector is far from sufficient, it has greatly contributed to the reduction of the demand-supply gap. To further increase this contribution the network continues to support the systems in all member countries involved in seed potato production.

In Burundi, government has identified potato seed as one of the major priority areas for rehabilitation and strengthening in its 3-year action plan for the period 2002-2004. Support is already in place from Belgium and FAO for a project aiming at producing 2000 tons of clean seed this year, 3000 tons next year and 5000 tons in the year 2004.

Three research laboratories (ISABU, la FACAGRO and l’IRAZ) and two commercial ones (Agrobiotec and Phytolab) had at the time of reporting already collectively produced basic seed enough to produce over 300 tons of commercial seed.

As a strategy to improve its national seed systems, the national potato program in Ethiopia set up a modern tissue culture laboratory that is already operational. Currently four released varieties have been successfully cultured and others will soon be added. The laboratory has a capacity of producing up to 1 million plantlets per annum. This will help increase the amount of improved seed, which currently satisfies far less than 1% of the national demand. With time, Ethiopia will be able to supply clean seed to other member countries in the region along with Kenya, and Rwanda. A service to cleanup viruses will also be started soon. EARO has recruited two fulltime BSc holders two work on tissue culture, who are trained and closely supervised by an expert MSc holder. PRAPACE has supplied tissue culture chemicals that will keep the laboratory running for quite a while. An agreement has been reached with EARO that after this initial support, the laboratory will in future be self-sufficient.

On-station, through use of rapid multiplication techniques, over 10,000 healthy tuberlets were produced during the reporting period. Consequently, about 60 tons of pre-basic and basic seed of five released varieties and over 25 clones at advanced stages of evaluation were produced and distributed to different regional and federal research centers for both on-station and on-farm research and multiplication. The amount of basic seed produced last year was about 50 tons. The basic seed was given to a number of NGOs and farmer groups and individuals for further multiplication of improved seed that was estimated at 1,200 tons. As a means of achieving sustainability, farmers were trained in modern potato production with emphasis on seed, and maintenance techniques including storage. During the reporting period, 94 farmers and development agents underwent such training. The field workers of the potato program that are usually involved in the production of basic seed were given a one-day training during each of the two growing seasons in a year. This has boosted their knowledge of clean seed production and their morale. Although this local training does not have much regional value by itself, the approach is quite relevant and PRAPACE will encourage it in other member countries to increase regional impact.

In Uganda, since the inception of Uganda National Seed Potato Producers Association (UNSPPA) in1995, production of improved seed has significantly increased, with an increase in the seed multiplication rate from 3.6 to 7.8. The operation of UNSPPA in the highlands expanded from two districts in 1995 to five in 2002 that represent the potential potato growing regions in southwest, west-Nile and eastern Uganda. Moreover, during this reporting period, a better availability and access of improved potato seed stimulated potato production in additional twelve districts located at low and medium altitudes. The expansion was effected as part of the Plan for Modernization Agriculture (PMA). Seed production was found to be economically very viable in Kabale and Kisoro districts, where UNSPPA first founded and became operational.

In the Mount Elgon area in the districts of Mbale and Kapchorwa, dissemination of improved potato varieties has resulted in increased knowledge of farmers in varietal selection, potato production techniques and also in increased improved seed production. Varieties that are most adaptable to this area have been identified, that are not necessarily the same as those doing well in western Uganda. Future work in the mount Elgon area will focus on rapid multiplication and dissemination of the most suitable varieties that can also very easily be disseminated to western Kenya, for they share a similar agro-ecology.