A blight-resistant GMO potato variety help farmers in Uganda to defeat late blight and change their fortunes

Successful innovation for agriculture will depend on thorough and careful understanding of the aspirations of beneficiaries and the challenges farmers face. It entails putting them at the center of these innovations, according to this blog post by the International Potato Center (CIP). In Kabale, approximately 410 kilometres (by road), south-west of Kampala —the capital of Uganda — and bordering Rwanda to the east and south, we meet two farmers: Bone-Konsira Tumwesigwe and John Karugaba. These two are part of 300,000 smallholders who grow potatoes in Uganda for subsistence and income. They have experienced firsthand the challenges that come with potato farming in this fertile region. Loosing up to 60% of their potato crop due to the devastating late blight disease has been the most dreadful. This is the same potato disease that caused a famine in Ireland in the 1800s that killed and displaced two million people. In Uganda alone, the disease can cause annual losses between $60 ...