Role of Cassava and Sweetpotato in Mitigating Drought in Semi-Arid Makueni County in Kenya

Abstract

Cassava and sweetpotato are major factors in food security across sub-Saharan Africa. Though cassava and sweetpotato varieties that are early maturing and resistant to diseases have been developed, many farmers still grow local varieties. Cassava and sweetpotato cultivars that mature between 6 and 12 and 3 and 4 months after planting, respectively, are available. The objective of the synthesis was to obtain a general overview of cassava and sweetpotato production in Matiliku subcounty of Makueni County in semi-arid eastern Kenya before the establishment of a seed system for them. Participatory rural appraisal and focused group discussions with key stakeholders in Makueni County on the current status of these crops provided very useful information. It was observed that there are a few early cassava and sweetpotato adopters, meaning a lot of effort in communicating the need to commercialize them needs to be made. Even though the farmers had sufficient experience in growing them at subsistence level, they were searching for cultivars that combine both nutritional and food security. There is a need to engage more extension service providers in order to campaign on their adoption. There is a need to carryout training and awareness creation on their role in food security and wealth creation.