Exploring the Potential for Sustainable Potatoes as a Crop for Northern Ghana

The potato (Solanum tuberosum) belongs to the Solanaceae family of flowering plants. First domesticated in the Andes mountains of South America, it is a staple food in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world'sfood supply (Spooner et al., 2014). The potato is the world’smost important root and tuber crop. It is grown in more than 125 countries and consumed almost daily by more thana billion people (FAO, 2019). Hundreds of millions of people in developing countries depend on potatoes for their survival. Potato cultivation is expanding strongly in the developing world, where the potato’sease of cultivation and nutritive content have made it a valuable food security and cash crop for millions of farmers. Developing countries are now the world’sbiggest producers and importers of potatoes and potato products (FAO, 2009). As of 2014, potatoes were the world's 4th most consumed food crop after maize, wheat, and rice (CIP, 2019; Johnson & Cheein, 2023.). Potato is a critical crop in terms of food security in the face of population growth and increased hunger rates (CIP, 2019).

Potatoes yield abundantly with little effort, and adapt readily to diverse climates as long as the climate is cool and moist enough for the plants to gather sufficient water from the soil to form the starchy tubers (Ensminger et al., 1994). One hectare of potato can yield two to four times the food quantity of grain crops. Potatoes produce more food per unit of water than any other major crop and are up to seven times more efficient in using water than cereals (CIP, 2019). The yield of calories per acre (about 9.2 million) is higher than that of maize (7.5 million), rice (7.4 million), wheat (3 million), or soybean (2.8 million) (Adepoju et al., 2010, Ensminger & Ensminger., 1994).

Today, potato production and consumption are booming worldwide, with ever greater quantities being processed for the convenience food and snack industries, while its importance as a subsistence crop continues to expand. Many developing countries are eager to enter the lucrative emerging markets for potatoes and potato products, but to do so needs a major assessment of the productivity, profitability and sustainability of their potato subsectors. For example, potato yields in the developing world average around 10 to 15 tonnes per hectare, less than half of the average yields achieved by farmers in Western Europe and North America (FAO, 2009).

The development of a vibrant, profitable and sustainable potato subsector in developing countries depends on measures to overcome a number of persistent constraints. Those measures include improvements in the quality of planting material, potato varieties that have reduced water needs, greater resistance to insect pests and diseases, and resilience in the face of climate changes, and farming systems that make more sustainable use of natural resources (FAO, 2009).

Despite the potential for the potato as an important food and income security crop in developing countries and the eagerness of many developing countries in adopting and integrating potatoes into their crop production systems, no such effort has been made in Ghana, despite the fact that, there are visible food and income security challenges in the country (Darfour and Rosentrater, 2016).

It is against this backdrop, that this 18-month feasibility study was designed to investigate the potential for introducing Irish potatoes as a new crop to northern Ghana, and to the country at large. In this study, to maximize the chances of success we used novel seed potato varieties (Maris Peer, Mayan Rose and Nadine) developed by the Sarvari Research Trust, with the following characteristics: i) Late blight and virus resistance; ii) Vigour to suppress weed growth; iii) Natural sprout suppression properties in storage; iv) Drought tolerance and v) Reduced reliance on expensive chemical inputs.

The objective of the study was to assess the potential for growing and storing Irish potatoes in northern Ghana.