Over the past 15 years, the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), a Sub-Regional Inter-Governmental Organization of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES) of 15 Member States, has been implementing the Innovation Platform (IP) approach. This framework aims to scale out proven gender-responsive and climate-smart agricultural Technologies, Innovations, and Management Practices (TIMPs) across its member countries. ASARECA has played a critical role in providing oversight and technical support to key stakeholders facilitating agricultural commodity-based IPs in Eastern and Central Africa (ECA). The organization has also strengthened the capacity of these IPs to enhance technology demand articulation, prioritize research action, and scale innovations at regional, national, and sub-national levels.
In 2019 and 2020, Rwanda released 11 new potato varieties with good agronomic attributes such as high tuber yields, short maturity periods, tolerance to pest damage, and resistance to common diseases like late blight and potato viruses. However, despite these benefits, adoption among smallholder farmers, particularly youth and women, has remained low. One of the major barriers has been the high cost associated with purchasing quality declared or certified seed potatoes. Additionally, limited technical knowledge in Good Agronomic Practices (GAPs) for certified and quality declared seed production has been identified as a significant challenge affecting seed yield.
To address these challenges,from February 10th to 16th, 2025, the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), in collaboration with ASARECA and the Seed Potato Fund – Joint Ventures, organized a hands-on training session on GAPs, demonstration, and dissemination of two new potato varieties (Cyerecyezo and Ndamira). The training targeted 320 members of the Dukomeze Ubuzima Cooperative (also known as Shingiro IP) in Musanze, Rwanda. Among the participants, 220 were persons with disabilities (PWDs), 250 were women, 70 were men, and 180 were youth. The aim was to scale up the production of quality declared seed and increase the uptake of climate-smart potato varieties across 11 farmer groups as a strategy to enhance climate change adaptation.
During the training, Dr. Sylvester Dickson Baguma, the Interim Executive Director of ASARECA, officially handed over seed potatoes and sprayer pumps to the Dukomeze Ubuzima Cooperative. He encouraged members to use these resources for income generation and improved livelihoods.
This training was conducted under the framework of several regional projects, including ASARECA’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme ex-pillar IV (CAADP-XP4) Programme, the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) Project, and the Strengthening Agricultural Knowledge and the Innovation Ecosystem for Inclusive Rural Transformation and Livelihoods in Eastern Africa (AIRTEA) Project.
The training contributed to CAADP-XP4 project activity, which focuses on strengthening the capacities of innovation platforms to scale up proven CSA TIMPs. The CAADP-XP4 project is funded by the European Union (EU) under the Development Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture (DeSIRA) initiative and managed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Now in its sixth and final year, the project aims to deliver five key outputs:
The training also contributed to AICCRA project, which focuses on validating and disseminating climate information services and climate-smart agriculture technologies. Funded by the World Bank, the AICCRA project aims to enhance technical, institutional, and human capacity to transfer climate-relevant information, decision-making tools, and technologies in IDA-eligible African countries. The project is structured around four major components: knowledge generation and sharing, strengthening partnerships for the delivery of climate-smart innovations, validating climate-smart agriculture innovations through piloting, and project management.
Furthermore, the training aligned with AIRTEA project activity, which aims to strengthen the capacities of youth and women involved in multi-stakeholder Innovation Platforms (IPs). AIRTEA is a five-year project (2021–2026) supported by the Organization of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) through the ACP Innovation Fund, funded by the European Union (EU). The project is implemented by a consortium consisting of FARA, ASARECA, and EAFF. Its overarching goal is to contribute to sustainable agrarian livelihoods and rural transformation by fostering an inclusive innovation environment. The specific objectives of AIRTEA include strengthening the capacities of youth and women in multi-stakeholder innovation platforms, facilitating technology transfer and uptake, and improving profitability and employment opportunities along agricultural commodity value chains.
Speaking on behalf of the Dukomeze Ubuzima Cooperative members, Mr. Jean Damascene Sinzabaheze, the president of the cooperative, expressed gratitude to ASARECA and RAB for the training and seed donations. He emphasized that the skills and seeds received would significantly help cooperative members increase their productivity and income, ultimately improving their wellbeing.