FACTORS INFLUENCING FARMERS’ CHOICE OF POTATO VARIETIES TO GROW IN SOUTH-WESTERN UGANDA

Abstract

The demand for potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and its products is rapidly expanding in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), owing to the unequivocal rise in human population largely through urbanisation. This study aimed at investigating the extent to which varietal and seed-system-based attributes influence the farmers’ choice of potato varieties to grow in Uganda. Data were collected from 147 purposely, potato-growing households in south-western Uganda. Varietal attributes, such as resistance to bacterial wilt, thick tuber skin texture, high dry matter content, and yield, significantly influenced the farmers’ choice of potato varieties. Thick tuber skin texture influenced varietal change positively, by 18% points. For the seed system-based attributes, distance to the seed sources, and long-term cultivation of a variety, negatively influenced potato varietal choices by 1.4 and 1.2%, respectively. It is concluded that varietal and seed system-based attributes influence potato varietal choice in south-western Uganda; although for farmers to change from one variety to another, the distance to seed sources should be minimal.