Potato value chain development project in Cameroon. Internal midterm review report

The “ONE WORLD – No Hunger” Initiative (SEWOH) by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is part of the G7 goal to free 500 million people from hunger and malnourishment by 2030. SEWOH intends to contribute significantly to reducing poverty and hunger in developing countries in general and Cameroon in particular. The Cameroonian project is part of the framework of the global project – “Green Innovation Centres for the Agriculture and Food Sector” (ProCISA). The project that started in November 2014 is being implemented in close cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER) and the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries (MINEPIA), and other partners. It focuses, among others, on the potato value chain to introduce technical and institutional innovations along with the capacity building to increase efficiency and productivity for increased income from potato farming in the West, North-West, and Adamawa regions. With its value chain focus on production and commercialization, ProCISA also targets job creation and the role of women and youth in agriculture and food security. The capacity building around Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) is essential and a significant component in the ProCISA approach. In the implementation of one of its objectives, ProCISA signed a grant agreement with the International Potato Center (CIP) due to its technical expertise on the potato food systems to implement a project titled “Potato Value Chain Development in Cameroon (PVCD),” which started in December 2018. PVCD project built on preliminary interventions conducted by CIP as a consultant from October 2016 to November 2018. In this light, the overall goal of the PVCD project is to promote sustainable intensification of potato production and provide business opportunities for small to medium-sized enterprises through innovative production practices, capacity building, and developing appropriate business models. In a specific manner, the project is structured in five (05) components as follows: Policy engagement and Advocacy (i); Training at scale on good agricultural practices (ii); Seed production and Variety promotion (iii); Promotion of innovations and business models (iv); and M&E and Knowledge sharing (v)

Appraisal of Potato Production Practices in the Adamawa and West regions of Cameroon. Baseline Survey Report

We conducted a baseline survey to appraise the current potato practices and farming systems in the Adamawa and West regions of Cameroon where a GIZ-funded project (ONE WORLD – No Hunger, or SEWOH) titled "Green Innovation Centers for the Agricultural and Food Sector" (ProCISA) is being implemented. We employed a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods to gather and analyze data/information. This study focused on potato farmers that have been into potato production for at least two years. We developed a structured questionnaire which was administered to small- and medium-sized potato growers based on a literature review and consultation with key stakeholders. The questionnaire was pretested through ten in-depth interviews with selected farmers in the Adamawa and West regions. Local enumerators were recruited in each region and trained to administer the questionnaire in the field. In total, 341 questionnaires were completed (141 in Adamawa and 200 in the West region) in 133 villages (35 in Adamawa and 98 in the West region) using a modified systematic random sampling technique to ensure even representation. The collected data was then coded and analyzed. Farmers in both regions cultivate an area typically not more than 1 hectare (ha), but in Adamawa, farmers grow only one round of potatoes, while in the West they cultivate two in a year (i.e., during the rainy season from March to October). Top challenges to farmers in our survey area include low access to quality seed, poor management and agronomic practices, and limited access to credit, fertilizers and pesticides. In Adamawa, just over half of the farmers (51%) reported having received no agricultural training in the past, compared to just 43% in the West region. Thus, interest in and willingness to participate in future trainings are high