Africa: Just like tomatoes, potatoes can flourish in Kenya’s dry north

It sits just a few kilometres from Moyale town, and for several years, nomadic livestock-keeping has been the local’s mainstay.

But this is fast-changing as residents embrace horticulture farming, in particular potato cultivation, after a recent trial turned out successful.

“The area around Bute has rich soils for crop cultivation but only lack sufficient water,” says Wajir South sub-county agriculture extension officer, Hussein Ahmed Mohamud.

Mohamud notes Habaswein in Wajir South, through which Ewaso Nyiro River crosses, as well as Wajir Central, which has some oases, have slightly saline soils but are still conducive for crop cultivation, including potato farming. These soils range from sandy-clay to sandy-loam to pure clay, and with the right farming practices, potatoes do well.

“In Kenya, the perception has been that potatoes only grow well in colder and wetter areas like Meru, Molo and Kinangop. But shockingly,  we tried potato farming in Wajir, one of the hottest and driest counties and it worked?” says Corien Herweijer, the business development manager at Agrico East Africa, a subsidiary of Agrico BV (Netherlands), a global producer of seed potato.

Herweijer notes that contrary to popular belief, potatoes can actually grow almost everywhere in Kenya, as long as there is no frost at night and no extreme heat during the day. “Water is important though, so one can depend either on rainfall or irrigation. But soil testing is a must, you spend a little on it but it saves you a lot more,” she adds.

Source: mobile.nation.co.ke