Farmers’ Willingness to Pay for Clean Sweet Potato (Ipomea batatas) Seed in Kenya

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the context of climate change, sweet potato (Ipomea batatas) production has the ability to increase ecosystem resilience and alleviate food insecurity and malnutrition. However, sustainable production of the crop is impeded by a scarcity of high-quality seed. Production of sweet potato is currently dominated by use of recycled planting materials often sourced from local social networks. To help reverse this trend, a number of organizations have been involved in the development of clean planting material. However, a sustainable seed-system has not yet been actualized largely due to limited development of clean sweet potato seed systems. In order to inform the clean sweet potato development efforts, it is important to understand whether clean seed multiplication is feasible and whether there is demand for clean seed. The objectives of this study were: 1) To characterize sweet potato seed systems in Kenya, 2) To compare the multiplication costs and willingness to pay for clean sweet potato seed among smallholder farmers in Kenya and 3) To assess the preferences for sweet potato seed attributes in Kenya. Data collection was conducted in Homa-bay County and Kirinyaga County among a sample of 383 sweet potato farmers and 30 sweet potato seed multipliers spread across five counties (Kakamega, Homabay, Bungoma, Embu, Meru) in Kenya. Characterization of seed systems was done using descriptive statistics, WTP was estimated using the contingent valuation method, while the assessment of preferences for sweet potato seed was achieved using a choice experiment approach. Results of the study revealed that access to clean seed is low (9.7%), with most farmers experiencing mild seed insecurity with a score of 4.8 out of a possible maximum score of 12. Further, the estimated mean WTP was KES 578.94, which was higher than the costs of clean seed multiplication (KES. 444.81), suggesting that the business of clean seed multiplication could be economically viable. The findings further indicate that, in general, sweet potato farmers were willing to purchase sweet potato planting material which is disease resistant, bio-fortified, and high yielding in their respective order of importance. The study therefore recommends that awareness creation on clean seed should be done, and an efficient distribution system for clean seed should be established.