Uganda: Dr Joshua Okonya, Who Leads Climate-Smart Potato Scale-Up Across 15 Countries, on the Potato Expert Panel
Dr Joshua Okonya of ASARECA, who first identified Tobacco Rattle Virus in potatoes in sub-Saharan Africa and coordinates climate-resilient potato technologies in 15 countries, is a member of the Potato Expert Panel by Potatoes.News.
Dr Joshua Sikhu Okonya, Program Officer for Agricultural Technology and Innovation at the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) and a Fellow of the Uganda National Academy of Sciences, is a member of the Potato Expert Panel by Potatoes.News. He has worked on African potato production for more than two decades, including 10.5 years as an agronomist at the International Potato Center (CIP).
Two continental firsts
Okonya’s research identified Tobacco Rattle Virus in potatoes for the first time in sub-Saharan Africa and documented Potato Cyst Nematode in Uganda. Both findings helped reshape pest surveillance and management strategies for smallholder potato farmers.
He combines climate science, entomology and socio-economic analysis to develop farmer-centred integrated pest management that takes gender dynamics and local conditions into account. He also contributed to Africa’s Pest Distribution and Risk Atlas.
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Scaling climate-resilient potato technologies in 15 countries
As Coordinator of ASARECA’s Climate-Smart Agriculture Alliance across 15 countries, Okonya leads the scale-up of climate-resilient potato technologies, including rooted apical cuttings in Kenya and climate-resilient varieties for farmers with disabilities in Rwanda. Potatoes.News has covered rooted apical cuttings in Kenya in two articles: up to 45 tubers per cutting in farmer-managed demos and a six-partner network taking the seed to community multipliers.
Okonya holds a PhD in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Hohenheim, Germany. His work includes more than 100 publications, and he has advised organisations such as the IFC–World Bank Group, GIZ, CIP and IITA.
WHY IT MATTERS
Pests, viruses and nematodes are among the main reasons smallholder potato yields in Eastern and Central Africa stay low, and climate change is shifting where they appear. For seed producers, growers and traders, an expert who has both found new pests in the region and coordinates technology scale-up across 15 countries can explain which risks are spreading and which solutions are ready for farmers.
Join the panel
Potatoes.News invites potato professionals from any country to join the Potato Expert Panel. To apply, write to v.kovalev@potatoes.news with a short biography (80–150 words), your areas of expertise, your country and organisation, and a portrait photo. The panel is the first step towards an international network of potato professionals that we are building together with the International Potato Tour.
Based on the expert profile provided by Dr Joshua Okonya. Read his expert profile.
