In Kenya, potatoes are the second most important food crop after maize, sustaining roughly 800,000 smallholder farmers and a vast value chain of transporters, seed producers, and street vendors in a sector worth approximately $400 million. At the heart of this bustling market is Nakuru, where vendors like Rada Mwati depend on the popular Shangi variety to serve crispy, golden chips to their loyal customers. However, Shangi, which accounts for two-thirds of the country’s potato production, is highly vulnerable to late blight—a disease that can destroy 30 to 80 percent of a crop. These field losses, coupled with seasonal supply disruptions, often leave vendors without the potatoes they need, forcing them to use alternatives like Mshororo, which turns brown when fried and disappoints customers. The success of thousands of food businesses thus hinges on a single challenge: finding a potato that performs both in the field and in the fryer.
To address this, the Crop Trust, through the BOLD project (Biodiversity for Opportunities, Livelihoods and Development), is supporting breeders at the International Potato Center (CIP) to develop new potato lines that combine disease resistance with superior frying qualities. Breeder Thiago Mendes emphasizes that diversity is evaluated not just in the field but also in the kitchen—key traits include golden-yellow color after frying, proper texture, taste, and uniform size for transport. A truly successful variety must satisfy everyone along the supply chain: farmers need high yields and resilience, traders require storability, vendors like Rada need consistent frying performance, and consumers simply want the perfect fried potato. As scientists draw on crop diversity to breed the next generation of potatoes, the winning variety may already be growing in test plots—one that could keep Rada’s customers coming back and transform Kenya’s potato sector from field to plate.
