January 2012: The International Potato Center (CIP) has developed a five-year strategy, a “Seed Potato Value Chain Roadmap,” for Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, to increase the availability of high-quality seed potatoes and promote improved seed-potato management. According to CIP, these efforts are needed despite an increase in potato production over recent decades across Africa. The Roadmap is expected to help raise rural and urban incomes in the five countries, based on a proposed investment of US$15 million. The Roadmap is expected to lead to a 20 percent increase in yields, building on a mix of value chain improvements and implementation of lessons learned from recent projects. One approach to reach these goals will be the adoption of the 3-G strategy, which seeks to produce large numbers of minitubers so that a sufficient quantity of high-quality seed can be developed in three generations.

CIP is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [CIP Press Release]