- Taita Taveta is stepping up efforts to make Irish potatoes a major source of income for local farmers.
- County teams are working with organised farmer groups to improve access to quality planting material and better farming methods.
- Researchers are promoting potato varieties suited to different growing zones as the county targets stronger harvests and markets.
Irish potatoes are emerging as a priority crop in Taita Taveta, where county leaders want bigger harvests, better prices and fresh work for women and young people.
Farmers now plant the tuber on 750 hectares. With each hectare giving about 15 tonnes, the county harvests roughly 11,250 tonnes a year. At market rates, that crop is worth around Ksh 562.5 million.
Dawson Katuu Mzenge, the county’s Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, sees the potato as a dependable way to lift family earnings and keep food on the table. It could also give idle youth something worthwhile to do. In his view, the plan stands on three pillars. These are certified seed, sound farming practice and steady buyers.
County teams are therefore running farmer trainings and supporting research on the crop. They are also widening access to clean planting material. So far, they have partnered with 21 organised potato groups to carry the message to villages.
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Seed reaches many of these farmers through the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP). Growers collect it at Farmer Field and Business Schools (FFBS) and on demonstration plots. There, they practise better ways to manage the crop before trying them at home.
Behind the push sits the county motto “Chakula mezani, pesa mfukoni”, meaning food on the table and cash in the pocket. Leaders want every harvest to show up as real money in household budgets.
On the ground, Wundanyi agripreneur Gift Kisombe acts as a bridge between farmers and seed dealers. He argues that a good harvest begins with certified seed, which is why he steers growers towards reliable suppliers.
Farmers who want to choose a variety can turn to the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO). It offers types suited to the different potato growing zones, among them Unica, Markies, Dutch Robijn, Kenya Mpya, Sheherekea and Shangi.
By our reporter
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