The Potato Seed System in Uganda-an end-user Perspective

J

First Bio-Innovate Regional Scientific ConferenceUnited Nations Conference Centre (UNCC-ECA)

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 25-27 February 2013

Introduction and rationale

• Potato (solanum tuberosum) is important for food security and livelihoods

• However the sub-sector is hampered by low productivity brought about mainly by poor planting material.

• Multiplication, distribution, maintaining standards, monitoring quality are essential in maintaining high quality planting material as seed for next generation’s crop in the face of other stresses.

Introduction and Rationale• Despite the importance of quality

seed systems for potato productivity, it is ill defined in Uganda.

• This situation makes scientific interventions difficult to implement

• Study was conducted to understand existing systems of seed potato from the end-user perspective

• Establish preferred quality characteristics, costs of acquiring planting material and WTP for quality attributes.

Data and methods

• Data collected from a stratified sample of 181 potato farmers in Eastern and Central Uganda

• Results reported here are for Kapchorwa district

• Leading producer of potatoes in Eastern Uganda.

• Analysis using STATA 12

– Descriptive analysis (Percentages and means)

– Robust regression (Parameter estimates for WTP)

Results

Variable Mean Std Dev

Male 91%

Literacy level 84%

Age 42.8 11.3

HH size 7.6 4.4

Education 9.3 4.2

Exp in potato production 14.1 9.6

No. of plots (20011) 1.1 0.8

No. of plots (5 years ago) 1.4 0.9

Intensity of prodn. (2011) 97.4 11.6

Intensity of prodn. (5yrs ago) 98.4 8.1

Potato acreage (2011) 1.25 1.24

Potato Acreage (5yrs ago) 2.1 0.8

Membership to FOs 80.3%

Descriptives

Availability of labor for HHs

Relative experience in potato production is 0.33

No change in:No of potato plots Intensity of potato production

However, actual acreage under potato shrunk over the 5-yr period.

NAADS groups, the KapchorwaFarmers’ Association.

Results cont…Variety %

Wanale 12.3

Agriculture 42.0

AT Uganda 6.2

Victoria 9.9

Cruza 6.2

Agriculture and Wanale are most grown potato varieties

Over 75% of the potato farmers reported that most varieties were just introduced in the area implying that they were adopted from elsewhere.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

19

91

19

92

19

93

19

94

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95

19

96

19

97

19

98

20

00

20

01

20

02

20

03

20

04

20

07

20

11

Time lag from when variety was first heard of till the time it was planted

Relative adoption rate=

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Variety: “Wanale” Variety: “Agriculture”

Source, type and price of planting material

Major source is own saved seed or neighbor

Informal seed source hence quality and name of variety not usually known.

Variable Variety Mean USD

Small size Wanale 42,200 15.92

Agriculture 41,100 15.51

Medium size Wanale 41,250 15.57

Agriculture 41,600 15.70

Average cost Wanale 41,725 15.75

Agriculture 41,35015.60

Self39%

Farmer-to-farmer

35%

Local traders14%

Local seed producers

6%

Other6%

Preferred AttributesVariable Wanale

(%)

Agriculture

(%)

Tuber yield 30.3 26.5

Storability 9.1 6.9

Drought tolerance 3.0 2.0

Tolerance to too much rains 0.0 2.0

Nutritional value 3.0 0.0

Tolerance to blight 6.1 10.8

Tolerance to moth 0.0 2.0

Early maturity 21.2 16.7

High dry matter content 0.0 1.0

Flesh color 0.0 1.0

Viability 0.0 1.0

Marketability 24.2 11.8

Taste of tuber 3.0 17.6

Tuber yield as the most important characteristic attribute when choosing variety.

Other Wanale attributes included marketability and early maturity.

Early maturity and taste of the tuber of “Agriculture”.

WTP – Measure of potential demandVariety Response Premium USD

Wanale 44,583 2,858 1.08

Agriculture 44,359 3,009 1.14

WTP= β0+

VariableCoef. Standard error Sign.

Constant854.53 247.62 ***

Age -617.44 288.93 **

Education 676.8 620.33

Time to renew seed -1785.09 279.47

Do you sell seed produced? 2237.33 729.75 ***

Potato acreage -539.07 252.51 *

Off-farm employment -2403.18 1045.48 **

It is not enough to deliver innovations to the end-user.

It is important to assess whether the innovations are being taken up, what challenges they face, and what factors influence uptake.

Dr. Seyoum

Stages that planting material passes through (for a variety not previously grown)

Hear/learn about variety

Identify variety source

Visits and inspects garden

Evaluate performance for yield, maturity, plant health of existing plants

If satisfied, prospecting buyer negotiates on price, size, makes partial payment

At harvest time buyer returns to field, completes payment and collects seed

Stages that planting material passes through (for a variety previously grown)

Farmer harvests own seed

Identifies farmer who wishes to grow same variety

Farmer agrees on volumes to exchange and exchange takes place

LegislationVariable Response %

On

multiplication

Yes 82.5

On distribution Yes 82.5

Aspects

lacking

Lack of awareness of

rules and regulations

regarding seed systems

34.6

Development and

provision of high quality

planting materials

32.6

Implementation and

monitoring

14.2

Benefits Pest and disease control 33.3

Access to high quality

planting material

37.3

Increase production 9.8

Large proportion of potato innovation end-users believe that there is legislation

However aspects in seed legislation are missing.

Minimal implementation and monitoring of existing seed legislation

Yet the benefits from legislation could be immense.

Effective implementation and monitoring of seed legislation would control the spread of pests and diseases, it would increase access to high quality planting material and thereby increase productivity.

Monitoring, standards and quality controlWho monitors quality

of planting material

None 39.0

Agric. officers/extension

workers

42.9

NAADS coordinator 16.9

Standards regarding

prodn. & distribution

Disease-free Seed 39.7

Maturity of tubers 22.7

Variety identity 30.4

Variety purity 22.4

Number of sprouts/eyes 32.4

Diameter of planting

material

22.1

Sell seed produced Yes 76.5

Largely monitored by the farmers themselves or agricultural/extension officers

and

Believe their experienced counterparts are better placed to do monitoring.

Few farmers knew of any standards on distribution

Yet, about ¾ of all farmers were in the business of producing, multiplying and selling planting material.

Concern to policy makers and technology developers

Researcher

Technology

Farmer

??????

Farmer

Time taken to

renew seed

Annually 38.0

After 2years 30.0

After 3years 18.0

Every 3mnths 8.0

Every 6mnths 6.0

Type of seed Certified 23.5

Not certified 76.5

While there are benefits to renewing seed every so often the majority of farmers interviewed mentioned they renewed seed once a year, after two years or even after three years.

Reasons:

High cost of renewal

&

inaccessible improved seed source.

Larger proportion of planting material exchanging hands was informal and of unknown quality standard

If the situation is persists then we should expect both the quality and quantity of harvest to decline over the years unless the people concerned with legislation, quality control and enforcement step up to the front

Conclusions• Smallholder production• Largely informal• A lot of recycling uncertified planting material• Lack of variety identify• Poor monitoring for quality>>> Low productivity

Over 72% of farmers produce, exchange and sell potato seed.

Those who sold were also willing to pay a premium for quality seed.

Tuber yield and marketability are key attributes.

• There still exists opportunity to improve potato productivity given:

– Appropriate varieties to address end-user needs of tuber yield and marketability (generated, disseminated)

– Access to quality planting material (and quality controlled)

– Private sector involvement in reducing informal exchange thus providing quality planting material

Acknowledgement

• Bioinnovate program

• ILRI

• UNECA

• Govt. of Sweden

• Govt of Uganda

• Farmers

Thank you