An Ethiopian farmer: Guta Gudisa from Jeldu Woreda (district) of the Oromia region
Contributed by Dr. Berga Lemaga, CIP
Public and Private Partners: Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural research(EIAR) provided seed, training & advertising; International Potato Center (CIP) provided training, technologies & genetic resources to EIAR. Bureau of Agriculture provided seed qualification certification. NGOs including World Vision purchased his seed potatoes; Dutch company purchased his seed.
1. Collaboration and institutional support for a new potato entrepreneur
Farmer Guta Gudisa is a dropout from 9th grade because of lack of support and decided to become a potato farmer. He got seed potato of improved varieties, training on production and postharvest management and potato production business plan from Holetta Agricultural Research Center of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and CIP. He planted the small amount of improved seed he got from EIAR on a 20m x 20m plot. He was impressed with the results and borrowed money from individuals in his area at a high unofficial interest rate to rent land to expand potato production. Now he grows up to 22 ha of potato per season (usually there are two seasons), mostly for seed production but also produces ware potatoes as well. In addition to potato production, he is engaged in other businesses including, dairy production from exotic cows he bought from EIAR, eucalyptus trees, transport industry giving transport services using the three trucks he has, grain mills, etc. all initially financed by proceeds from potato.
Guta provides employment for the communities there. He has 18 permanent and 60 causal laborers during peak seasons. Moreover, he is planning to construct a school and a hotel, both of which will serve the community a great deal.
2. Quality & healthy planting material
Guta produces up to 22 ha of seed potato following the quality declared seed system. This was developed by CIP and EIAR and is recognized as a progressive method of producing superior quality seed potatoes. His potato fields are supervised two times during growth and one time in diffused light store by trained inspectors from regulatory body of the Bureau of agriculture and natural resources. Training is given to these inspectors by EIAR and CIP to give them specific knowledge on inspection of seed potato fields. If Guta does not get a clearance indicating that the crop meets the QDS standards, he cannot sell his harvest for seed. He is one of the major sources of quality seed for farmers around his area, but also from different parts of the country, some coming from as far as over 700 km.
