Teresa Nekesa with her youngest child in her OFSP plot. Credit: V. Atakos (CIP-SSA) In Webuye East sub-county, Bungoma County, 30-year-old Teresa Nekesa ushers us into her house with a smile, her two young children in tow. Her other two children are studying at a nearby school. She informs us that the youngest just turned … Continue reading
VPA Mary Kinya holding well sprouted seed potato (Konjo variety) harvested from rooted cuttings in October 2017. The potato had been sprouted in her Diffuse Light Store (pictured in the background) Credit: FIPS Mary Kinya is a Village Potato Advisor (VPA) for Buyene village in Meru, she says, “For so long I have lived a … Continue reading
The USAID supported Feed the Future Kenya Accelerated Value Chain Development (AVCD) program organized a successful national conference on the 26th and 27 April in Nairobi. Addressing over 400 participants at the conference, His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta applauded the project for contributing to his government’s three of four big goals: food security, healthcare and … Continue reading
Isaiah Kemei is one of progressive seed potato multipliers in Kenya’s Uasin Gishu County. Before becoming a seed potato multiplier in 2016, Isaiah had been planting potatoes for sale at the local markets for more than seven years. “At that time I used to experience high disease incidence especially bacterial wilt in my potato fields … Continue reading
Decentralized seed potato multipliers and county officers in Kenya’s North Rift —part of the Feed the Future Kenya Accelerated Value Chain Development (AVCD) project—undertook an educational tour aimed at showcasing procedures and practises for producing certified seed. Continue reading
This March in Nkuene Ward, Meru County, potatoes were in flower, farmers were busy in their potato farms attending to their precious cash crop. Decentralized seed multipliers also known as Village Potato Advisors (VPAs) are busy too, doing a routine follow-up on farmers’ plots advising them on crop management of at this critical stage. Continue reading
Written by Raymond Jumah and Dave Priest (FIPS-Africa) FIPS VPA Edward Kirinya harvesting the Sherekea potato variety. He planted 50 kg in July and has harvested 1,322 kg in November 2016. Photo: Raymond Jumah/FIPS-Africa A cool breeze sweeps across Kioru village in Abothuguchi West ward, bringing freshness to the otherwise misty agricultural highlands of Meru … Continue reading
On 13-16 Dec 2016, USAID-funded projects working in western Kenya met in Kisumu for a 4 day USAID poverty learning event. The teams including Kenya Integrated Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Project (KIWASH), Financial Inclusion for Rural Microenterprises (FIRM) Kenya, Kenya Agricultural Value Chain Enterprises (KAVES), One Acre Fund, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Africa Lead and … Continue reading
Eight months after rolling out into the field, Farm Input Promotions Africa (FIPS-Africa) has established 73 decentralised seed multipliers (also known as Village-Potato Advisors (VPAs) in Meru County. The VPAs are supported through US government funded program Feed the Future Kenya Accelerated Value Chain Development (AVCD) Program in partnership with the International Potato Centre (CIP) … Continue reading
Isaac Mugedi, a 43 year-old farmer from Bungoma County first heard of OFSP in 2013 through the International Potato Centre (CIP). Since the 2015 start of the Accelerated Value Chain Development (AVCD) program, his role in as a OFSP farmer have evolved significantly. Today he multiplies vines, produces roots and provides extension services to OFSP buyers. … Continue reading
AVCD Kenya 