CAPSA Luotu seed potato repository. Image by GreenAfia

GreenAfia first published this article on September 10, 2025. Global Voices republished the article as part of a media partnership agreement. 

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), potato cultivation has regained momentum thanks to an alliance between the government, NGOs, researchers, and farmers committed to replacing imports with quality local production.

Once an essential tuber during festivities in Butembo and Beni (North Kivu), eastern DRC, the potato has become a daily staple and mainstay in North Kivu’s agricultural economy. Renowned for their resilience and ability to grow without chemical fertilizers, the Lubero and Rutshuru tubers were traditionally sold in Kisangani (800 kilometers from North Kivu) and Kinshasa (2,000 kilometers). However, road degradation, long journeys, and crop diseases have hindered this growth. In rainy seasons, a truck can take a month to reach Kisangani, and crops perish en route.

Strategic cultivation for food security

According to the United Nations’  Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the potato is one of the most important tubers in DRC. The nation produced 101,000 tons in 2018, and with its starch-rich makeup, it provides easily digestible energy that can help sustain the country's population of 109 million people. Its success requires meticulous crop management: soil preparation, organic input, sustainable fertilization, and earthing up to protect and improve the yield. Nevertheless, three major threats loom over its production: mildew, bacterial wilt, and viral diseases.

Faced with the degeneration of older varieties, often inherited from the colonial era, the Agricultural and Veterinary Research Center of Graben (CERAVEG) is working to create new high-yielding crop variants. Professor Charles Valimunzigha, of Agricultural Sciences at Université Catholique du Graben (UCG) and CERAVEG director, explains:

La plupart des variétés cultivées aujourd’hui dans la région datent de l’époque coloniale. Avec le temps, elles accumulent des infections et leur productivité décline.

Most varieties cultivated in this region date back to the colonial era. Over time, they accumulate infections and their productivity declines.

Today, it is rare for a farmer to produce 10 tons per hectare with older varieties. However, some of the variants that CERAVEG produces exceed 20 tons.

Successfully producing high-yielding seeds requires a lengthy scientific process. The selection process begins with over 10,000 hybrid seedlings to create cultivars that meet the standards. Valimunzigha states:

Chaque lignée est suivie séparément jusqu’à la récolte. Seules celles qui combinent résistance et rendement élevé sont conservées pour les essais ultérieurs. Ce n’est pas un travail d’une saison.

Each variety is monitored separately until harvest. Only those that combine resistance and high-yielding are retained for further trials. This isn’t a one-season effort.

Soil poses another obstacle. Even with quality seeds, land degradation hinders production. Professor Charles Valimunzigha explains:

Nous avons utilisé nos terres pendant des décennies sans jamais leur restituer les éléments minéraux que nos récoltes en extraient. Les tubercules, riches en éléments minéraux, sont extraits du sol… Une fois consommés, les résidus ne sont jamais réintégrés dans les champs.

We have used our land for decades without ever replacing the minerals our harvests extract. The mineral-rich tubers are extracted from the soil. Once taken, the residues are never reintroduced into the land.

For CERAVEG researchers, the key to success is a combination of improved seeds, sustainable practices, and restored fertility:

En RDC, le rendement moyen est de 5 tonnes à l’hectare selon la FAO. Pourtant, avec des semences de qualité, on peut atteindre jusqu’à 40 tonnes à l’hectare, comme en Europe.

According to the FAO, in DRC, the average yield is five tons per hectare. However, 40 tons per hectare can be achieved with quality seeds, like in Europe.

Potato success stories

Sixty-year-old Maman Kakuva Marie Thérèse farms an almost one-hectare field in Kitsuku, Lubero Territory of the DRC. The mother of ten estimates that she harvests around 500 kg per season, much better than what she and her family harvested when they were younger.

Aujourd’hui nous produisons plus.  Avant nous ne connaissions pas les bonnes pratiques culturelles. Mais aujourd’hui nous recevons de bonnes formations qui nous permettent de produire mieux.

Today, we produce more. Before, we weren’t familiar with the best farming practices. However, we now receive excellent training, enabling us to produce better.

Kakuva Marie Thérèse grows the Carolus and Kaki varieties that the Syndicat de Défense des Intérêts Paysans (Farmers’ Interests Defense Union or SYDIP) provides.

After the Kinigi variety failed, struggling to adapt to its environment, Katsuva Mayele Jean-Louis, a farmer and local school teacher in the same village as Kakuva Marie Thérèse, also switched to the Carolus variety. With Carolus, he says he has achieved good yields. He expressed his delight:

Grâce à cette culture, j’ai acheté un champ…Et par saison, avec mes récoltes, je peux gagner jusqu’à 1 500 dollars américains.

Thanks to this crop, I bought a field and can earn up to USD 1,500 each season with my harvests.

However, he notes that rainy seasons require more vigilance:

Les maladies, c’est quand ces feuilles brûlent, flétrissent… On dit que c’est le mildiou.

Diseases occur when these leaves burn and wither. This is called mildew.

Kazungu Wakalasalya Kakuva, another farmer who has been growing this crop since 2008, said proudly:

J’ai construit une maison grâce à la pomme de terre. Aujourd’hui la production a augmenté car nous avons adopté des pratiques agricoles qu’on ignorait.

Thanks to potatoes, I built a house. Production has increased as we now implement the agricultural practices we were previously unaware of.

His earnings enabled him to buy three plots of land, a motorcycle, and build a house.

The role of fertilizers in sustainable farming

To improve soil fertility, Professor Charles Valimunzigha recommends growing legumes between seasons:

Pendant l’inter-campagne, on peut semer du haricot ou du pois… Ces plantes captent non seulement l’azote atmosphérique mais aussi les nitrates résiduels du sol. Il n’existe pas  encore d’engrais bio capables de remplacer totalement les engrais chimiques en matière de performance.

Between harvesting campaigns, we can plant beans or peas. These plants absorb atmospheric nitrogen and residual nitrates from the soil. No organic fertilizers currently perform well enough to replace chemical fertilizers fully.

He also points out that proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids are identical in foods, whether they are organic or conventionally produced. He cautions:

Lors des pluies, certains éléments comme les nitrates peuvent atteindre les nappes souterraines. En forte concentration, ces nitrates sont cancérigènes.

During rainy seasons, some elements like nitrates can enter groundwater. In high concentrations, these nitrates are carcinogenic.

Improving local varieties 

A scientific report by the National Institute of Agronomic Studies and Research (INERA) underlines the strengths and limitations of two major seed types used in the DRC: one produced locally and another imported from Kenya, Uganda, and Europe.

There is no considerable difference in yields: 20 to 35 tons per hectare for local clones, compared to 25 to 40 tons for some imported seeds that have an even higher potential with enhanced care and attention. While some recently imported varieties better resist mildew, local clones maintain good to moderate tolerance.

Producers especially value their taste, hardiness, and preservability. Although the imported varieties are well accepted, they require more extensive training.

Local clones offer an excellent compromise between productivity, resistance, and accessibility. While imported seeds may be appealing due to their yield potential, their cost, reduced adaptability, and increased technical requirements make them less competitive in local agricultural systems.

Traditionally, potatoes are crops grown in temperate and high-altitude areas. However, as CERAVEG director Professor Charles Walimunzigha says, research has been a game-changer in helping to support local farming communities:

La recherche a permis de développer des lignées capables de s’adapter à des environnements moins favorables. J’ai même vu de la pomme de terre cultivée à Kinshasa, dans des conditions très différentes de celles du Kivu.

Research has made it possible to develop lines capable of adapting to less favorable environments. I have even seen potatoes grown in Kinshasa in conditions very different from those of Kivu.

These new crop varieties have paved the way for a more geographically diverse crop, including in warmer regions. Improved seeds, technical support, and coherent agricultural policies could help the potato become a strategic catalyst for food sovereignty in DRC.