Women group in Oljororok embrace Value addition in potatoe farming

Women have the potential to change their own economic status, as well as that of the communities and their families. Yet more often than not, women’s economic contributions go unrecognized, their work undervalued and their promise undernourished. The untapped potential of women and girls is gaining greater attention in Kenya.
Through agriculture which is the engine of economic growth in Kenya, and a valuable source of income for a majority of households in Kenyan. Women now are taking up farming full throttle.
On the outskirts of Oljororok town in Nyandarua County, Teresia Mbeere a member of Kiwafa Women Group highlights that they have found more value in potato production by producing potato starch and potato cubes, to enhance their financial income.
“The County Government of Nyandarua gave us two machines; potato peeler and a vacuum packer. We have taken our products to Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) for certification,” Terresia said.
Ones the products have been certified by KEBS, the market of the products is well assured as they have been approached by Equitorial Blooms a company that process potatoes who are willing to buy their products.
Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is an important staple and cash crop in the country and occupies a prime position in terms of contribution to food security, poverty eradication, and economic development. The importance of potato continues to rise over time due to increased urbanization and consequently increased uptake of processed potato products such as crisps and chips. However, potatoes consumed in Kenya are mainly boiled, roasted, fried, mashed, eaten in stews, or mixed with foods such as maize and beans.
Kiwafa women group was formed in 2008 and consists of fifteen members with three men being part of it. The group’s first agenda was home based care facilitation assisting the elderly and people living with HIV/AIDS. Later through the Ministry of Agriculture, they received seedlings of tree tomatoes and later they shifted to potatoes cultivation in 2011 after discovering the potential of potatoes in the County.
“We usually lease several pieces of lands to cultivate potatoes. Currently, we propagate our own seedlings for planting. Before, we sourced for certified seeds from Sygenta,” Teresia averred.
Potatoes can be grown almost on any type of soil, except alkaline soils. Loose soils are preferred, they offer the least resistance to enlargement of the tubers, they should be good drained and aerated, as they are most suitable. Soil with a pH range of 5.2-6.4 is considered ideal.
Growing potatoes involves extensive ground preparation. The soil needs to be harrowed free of weed roots. In most cases, three ploughings, along with frequent harrowing and rolling, are needed before the soil reaches a suitable condition: soft, well-drained and well-aerated.
During the growth of potatoes, which takes about four months for harvesting, weeds must be controlled in order to give the crop a competitive advantage. At Oljororok, potatoes are grown twice per year in April and August. “If the weeds are large, they must be removed before ridging begins. Ridging /earthing up consist of mounding the soil from between the rows around the main stem of the potato plant. Ridging keeps the plants upright and the soil loose, prevents insect pests such a tuber moth from reaching the tubers; and helps prevent the growth of weeds,” Teresia elucidated.
According to Teresia, it’s easier to determine when a potato is ready for harvesting. Yellowing of the potato plant’s leaves is the easiest way of determining. To facilitate harvesting, the potato vines should be removed earlier before the potatoes are dug up. Depending on the scale of production, potatoes are harvested using a spading fork, a plough or commercial potato harvesters that unearth the plant and shake or blow the soil from the tubers. During harvesting, it is important to avoid bruising or other injury, which provides entry points for diseases.
If the potatoes are to be stored rather than consumed immediately, they should be left in the soil to allow their skins to thicken, thick skins prevent entery of diseases and shrinkage due to water loss. However, leaving tubers for too long in the ground increases their exposure to a fungal incrustation.
“We usually sell our produce to brokers who eventually transport the produce for sell to other areas. A 100 kg bag goes 3,000 shillings,” she said.
Currently the group grows Shangi variety but they are shifting to Jelly which is a new variety that has been developed by the National Potato Council of Kenya (NPCK). “ Jelly is high yielding, on one acre piece of land, on can harvest 80 to 100 bags of potatoes unlike shangi which produces 30 to 40 bags,” Teresia opined.
Bacterial wilt is one of the biggest challenges the group is tackling. They have been advised not to grow potatoes on the said lands but they crop rotate with maize, beans and sorghum for 3 years.