In the small kebele of Felege Weyni, life once moved to the cadence of the harvest. That rhythm fractured in November 2020, when war upended the region and severed the systems that sustained it.
For Keshi Gebretsadik, a priest and head of a 54-member seed multiplication cooperative, the shock was immediate and severe. A tractor—the backbone of the group’s operations—was looted. More than 1,000 quintals of potatoes rotted unsold as markets collapsed and transport routes closed.
Yet in the midst of collapse, the potato—often overlooked in Ethiopia’s agricultural hierarchy—became indispensable. It fed families, sustained labor, and provided a measure of stability during nearly two years of conflict. Even now, in a fragile recovery, it remains central to household resilience.
Keshi, a veteran farmer from Itsebi Woreda in Tigray’s Eastern Zone, began his seed multiplication initiative in 1999 (E.C.) with just 13 members. With support from regional agricultural institutions and microfinance services, the effort evolved into the Shewit Seed Multiplication Cooperative, steadily expanding its reach and technical capacity.
The war interrupted that trajectory. But in its aftermath, the cooperative is rebuilding—larger and more inclusive, now comprising 54 members with equal participation of men and women. Access to credit and improved inputs is enabling a cautious transition from recovery to growth.
A partnership with the international development organization SNV has been pivotal. Backed by a 2.4-million-birr financing package, the cooperative has already drawn half to restore operations and invest in future production.
“During the war and the COVID-19 pandemic, potatoes became a primary source of food,” Keshi said, recalling a period when supply chains disintegrated and communities were effectively cut off. “We lost our tractor, and we were forced to discard more than 1,000 quintals that could not reach the market.”
What has changed since then is not only access to finance, but to technology. The introduction of G1 generation seed potatoes—higher-quality, disease-controlled planting material—marks a turning point, positioning the cooperative for sustained productivity gains.
A parallel transformation is underway hundreds of kilometers south, in Chencha Woreda of the Gamo Zone.
There, Daniel Gomesha Goha, chairman of the Dambo Ticha GMO Seed Potato Producers Cooperative Association, has witnessed two decades of incremental change culminate in a sharp rise in output.
“Before improved seeds, we depended entirely on local varieties with low yields,” he said. Training in modern agronomic practices, delivered through SNV-supported programs, has since helped drive record harvests.
Membership in the cooperative has grown from 30 to more than 100 farmers. Its role, however, extends beyond commercial production. The group distributes seed potatoes to vulnerable households—those unable to farm due to age, illness, or lack of resources—effectively functioning as a community safety net.
Plans are now underway to scale further, with the ambition of reaching every household in the area.
These localized accounts of recovery and adaptation framed discussions this week in Addis Ababa, where policymakers, researchers, and development partners convened for the National Potato Research and Development Workshop at the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR).
Held from March 17 to 19 under the theme “Advancing the Potato Industry in Ethiopia: Innovation for Resilience, Food Security, and Economic Growth,” the gathering reflected a shift in how the crop is perceived—no longer merely a subsistence fallback, but a strategic asset in national development.
Participants emphasized the need to close the persistent gap between research and practice, ensuring that innovations developed in laboratories translate into tangible gains for smallholder farmers. The message echoed experiences from both Tigray and the Gamo Zone: potatoes are evolving from a crisis crop into a cornerstone of food and nutrition security.
The historical resonance of that transformation was not lost on attendees.
Speaking on St. Patrick’s Day, Fergal Ryan, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Ireland, drew a parallel with Ireland’s 19th-century Great Famine, when potato blight devastated a population heavily dependent on a single crop.
“The Irish potato remains central to our story of confronting hunger and inequality,” he said. “Our focus is on supporting smallholder farmers—reducing hunger and strengthening resilience by unlocking the crop’s full potential as a high-yield, nutritious, and climate-adapted food.”
Still, the sector faces structural constraints.
Reta Worku, a technical representative from SNV, warned that inefficiencies across the value chain are driving up prices and limiting access. “The potato has long been seen as a poor man’s crop,” he said. “Now it risks becoming a rich man’s crop.”
Supply inconsistencies, particularly for processors, highlight deeper systemic issues. “Not getting sufficient and quality potato for processing is a serious gap,” he noted, urging stakeholders to identify and address root causes rather than symptoms.
That call for coordination was reinforced by Sebsibe Zewdie of GIZ, who pointed to the National Potato and Sweet Potato Development Strategy (2024–2030) as a critical framework for aligning efforts across institutions.
“Sustainable and inclusive growth must center on smallholder farmers,” he said. “A coordinated approach—linking government, research, development partners, and the private sector—is essential to building a resilient system.”
Yet even as strategies take shape, implementation remains uneven.
Fekadu Gurmu (PhD), Director General of EIAR, acknowledged that Ethiopia’s agricultural extension system has historically prioritized cereals such as wheat and maize, often at the expense of horticultural crops.
“The attention given to crops like potato is still limited,” he said. Ongoing research aims to develop varieties resistant to diseases such as late blight and wilting, while also meeting the needs of agro-processing industries. Expanding extension services to deliver these innovations to farmers, he added, is the next critical step.
