1. PUBLIC‐PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP
SUPPORTING WOMEN‐DRIVEN
POTATO SEED MULTIPLICATION IN THE
LUMWANA CATCHMENT AREA
NORTH‐WESTERN ZAMBIA
Chalwe A., S. Bwembya, and D. Subakanya

2. Background
• Potato is a high value crop largely grown by
commercial farmers
• Interest is increasing among small‐scale
farmers
• Increasing consumption demands in mine
areas
• The market demands year‐round production

3. Problem
• Farmers are incapacitated due to non‐
availability of seed of improved varieties
• There is only one seed supplier in Zambia
• Seed is imported from RSA
• The primary targets are member commercial
farmers.

4. Strategic intervention
• Public‐Private Partnership:
• To introduce to farmer groups a most
preferred and highly marketed improved
varieties of potato
• Provision of necessary skills on production

5. Seed multiplication and
distribution
BUYA BAMBA
ZARI
Matebo Mumena Mukumbi
Muyashi Shilenda Lunsala Kankuwa Lumwana Manyama ZARI plot
①②③… ①②③… ①②③... INDIVIDUAL FARMERS

6. Women Can Do It

7. Tuber yield, gross income, and
returns on labour of farmer
groups, 2011/12
Group Total
tuber
yield
(t ha‐1)
Marketable
tuber yield
(t ha‐1)
Gross
income
(ZMK)
Cost of
purchased
inputs
(ZMK)
Net returns
on farmer’s
labour
(ZMK)
Monthly
return on
farmer’s
labour
(US$)
Bukwasho 18.18 13.64 81,840.00 20,430.00 61,410.00 2,952.40
Lukusa nkund 15.15 11.36 68,160.00 20,430.00 47,730.00 2,294.71
Manyama 1.52 1.22 7,320.00 20,430.00 ‐13,110.00 ‐630.29
Lumwana 3.03 2.42 14,520.00 20,430.00 ‐5,910.00 ‐284.13
Kankuwa 6.06 4.54 27,240.00 20,430.00 6,810.00 ‐327.40
Lunsala 9.09 7.73 46,380.00 20,430.00 25,950.00 1,247.60
ZARI 21.21 14.81 88,860.00 20,430.00 68,430.00 3,289.90
Total 74.24 55.72 334.320 143,010.00 191,310.00 9,197.60
Mean 10.61 7.96 47,760.00 20,430.00 27,330.00 1,313.94

8. Incidence of bacterial wilt and
late blight in potato seed
multiplication plots
0
20
40
60
80
Muyashi
Shilenda
Manyama
Mutanda
Lunsala
Lumwana East
ZARI
Disease incidence (%)
Multiplication sites
Late Blight (%)
Bacterial Wilt (%)

9. Tuber yield, gross income, and
returns on individual farmer’s
labour at Muyashi, 2012/13
Farmer
Total
tuber
yield
(t ha‐1)
Marketable
tuber yield
(t ha‐1)
Gross
income
(ZMK)
Cost of
purchased
inputs
(ZMK)
Net
returns on
farmer’s
labour
(ZMK)
Monthly
return on
farmer’s
labour
(US$)
Farmer 1 12.12 10.05 60,300.00 20,430.00 39,870.00 1,916.83
Farmer 2 10.61 8.15 48,900.00 20,430.00 28,470.00 1,368.75
Farmer 3 13.64 12.12 72,720.00 20,430.00 52,250.00 2,513.94
Farmer 4 11.21 9.15 54,900.00 20,430.00 34,470.00 1,657.21
Farmer 5 11.67 8.75 52,500.00 20,430.00 32,070.00 1,541.83
Bukwasho 15.00 12.00 72,000.00 20,430.00 51,570.00 2,479.33
ZARI 16.67 14.17 85,020.00 20,430.00 64,590.00 3,105.29
Total 90.92 14.39 446,340.00 143,010.00 303,303.00 14,583.17
Mean 12.99 10.63 63,762.86 20,430.00 43,332.86 2,083.31

10. Tuber yield, gross income, and
returns on individual farmer’s
labour at Shilenda 2012/13
Farmer/Group
Total
tuber
yield
Marketabl
e tuber
yield
Gross
income
Cost of
purchased
inputs
Net returns
on farmer’s
labour
Net returns
on farmer’s
labour
(t ha‐1) (t ha‐1) (ZMK) (ZMK) (ZMK) (US$)
Farmer 1 10.11 8.15 48,900.00 20,430.00 28,470.00 1,368.75
Farmer 2 14.39 12.23 73,380.00 20,430.00 52,950.00 2,545.67
Farmer 3 7.56 5.21 31,260.00 20,430.00 10,830.00 520.67
Farmer 4 18.18 14.65 87,900.00 20,430.00 67,470.00 3,243.75
Farmer 5 7.56 5.28 31,680.00 20,430.00 11,250.00 540.87
Lukusa nkunde 14.5 11.65 69,900.00 20,430.00 49,470.00 2,378.37
ZARI 18.03 14.42 86,520.00 20,430.00 66,090.00 3,177.40
Total 90.33 71.59 429,540.00 143,010.00 286,530.00 13,775.48
Mean 12.90 10.23 61,362.86 20,430.00 40,932.86 1,967.93

11. Implication
• Small‐scale production of potatoes in Lumwana
catchment area is a feasible and highly profitable
venture which has the potential to reduce
poverty among women.
• The returns on farmers’ labour, US$ 24.60 (ZMK
127.92) and US$ 19.12 (ZMK 99.45) day‐1
obtained from growing 0.25 ha of potatoes by
Lukusa nkunde and Bukwasho women groups,
respectively, can enable women to live far much
above daily poverty datum line

12. Challenges
• Watering by hand is a labour‐tasking activity
• Long distance to streams and uncontrolled
quality of water
• Diseases due to uncontrolled movement of
planting materials
• Lack of locally adapted high yielding varieties
suitable for different end uses
• Storage of locally produced seed is difficult

13. Recommendations
• ZARI should start a breeding programme
• Establish improved labour‐saving irrigation
scheme.
• The few promising individual farmers should
be supported to take up potato seed
production as a serious business.
• There is need to introduce the low‐cost
Diffused Light Stores (DLS) for seed potato
tubers