Determining if Access to Certified Seed Multipliers Influence Smallholder Farmers’ Use of Certified Seed Potatoes (CSPs) in Kipipiri Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

Empirical evidence suggests that certified seed potatoes (CSPs) are critical in boosting potato yield, increasing income, and improving nutrition and food security at the household level. Availability and access to certified seed multipliers increase the chances of smallholder potato farmers’ (SHF) uptake and use of certified seed technologies and practices. Most farmers cannot access certified seeds from these multipliers, forcing them to use and reuse the seeds saved from their local storage facilities. The paper sought to determine whether access to certified seed multipliers influenced potato smallholder farmers’ use of CSPs in Kipipiri Sub-County, Kenya. A closed-ended, researcher-administered survey was used in collecting data from 106 SHFs selected from the area. Descriptives and binary logistic statistics were used to answer the study objectives. The findings indicated a significant relationship between access to certified seed multipliers and the use of CSPs. From the study, only 40 % of smallholder farmers had access to certified seed multipliers, while the majority (60%) did not. This trend would be why the respondents opted to use other sources of seeds from farmer stores. Additionally, the high cost of certified seeds and lack of awareness of existing certified seed sources/multipliers were recorded as the significant barriers hindering farmers from accessing certified seed potatoes in the study area.