Improving Potato and Tomato Yields in Kenya

TechnoServe, in partnership with Syngenta, is working to increase productivity and improve the market for these crops through Mavuno Zaidi.

The project aims to improve the incomes of 15,000 smallholder potato and tomato farmers in the Rift Valley and Eastern Kenya through improved input use, adoption of good agricultural practices and improved market access. Demand for potatoes has increased in Kenya, where it can be a substitute for staple grains like maize, which experience high price fluctuation. Similarly, tomatoes are also becoming an important vegetable in the Kenyan diet. However, the supply of both vegetables is hampered by low productivity and weak market structure. TechnoServe, in partnership with Syngenta, is working to increase productivity and improve the market for these crops through the Mavuno Zaidi project, which aims to provide quality crop inputs, improve access to finance, and enhance the capacity of market service centers for farmers in the Rift Valley and Eastern Kenya. Since its launch in March 2016, the project has benefitted over 8,800 farmers, helping them to generate nearly $5 million in increased revenue.