Sweetpotato Knowledge Portal
EVENT SCENARIO AND SITE BRIEF
Event: Secondary vine Multiplier, commercial sweetpotato farmers and adapting to risks of dynamics of vine marketing
Purpose: To demonstrate HarvestPlus’ Orange Sweetpotato commercialization efforts starting with clean planting materials from the lab to engaging market actors in Central Uganda
Date: June 14th, 2017
Location: a) Nkozi Sub county, Mpigi District
Provisional schedule Provisional schedule
|
Time |
Activity |
|
9.50 am |
Arrival in Kayabwe town |
|
10.00 am |
Arrive at Lwanyaga’s dual purpose multiplication site, Kokoota Village |
|
10.30 am |
Visit tertiary multiplier who bought clean materials from Lwanyaga |
|
11.00 am |
Visit Lwanyaga’s rapid multiplication gardens |
|
11.30 am |
Visit vine value addition option for risk aversion- Vine cutting, silage production site (Vine business integration in the farming systems) |
|
12.30pm |
Site visit to vine protected net shade and Lunch with OSP as part of balanced diet with farmers of Kikoota Group |
|
1.30 pm |
Depart Site |
An Overview
HarvestPlus Uganda is trying to set up a system of replenishing the vines in the community with clean tissue cultured material. This arose out of the fact that the sweetpotato varieties we are promoting had degenerated and the rate of dis-adoption was raising due to decline in yield. This is being done through a partnership with technical back stopping from CIP, engaging two private laboratories BioCrops and Senai, Makerere University and vine multipliers who are entrepreneurs based in the communities where roots are being produced. These entrepreneurs have formed regional associations and are now being inspected by Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries Inspectors to ensure quality. Also efforts to become resilient to weather changes by managing low cost irrigation are being explored. Today’s visit demonstrates this process.
This has resulted in increased popularity and demand for clean planting materials as the farmers are exposed to the clean vines which result in the high yield that farmers used to get when they received initial planting materials. The surplus roots arising from productions are being marketed by the roots producers. This area demonstrates an aspect of commercialization where farmers have expanded area under roots and have been linked to road side and urban markets. HarvestPlus is supporting interventions to make the entire system efficient and profitable along the entire value chain.