AfricaBlight Network launched in Kenya to fight potato disease
African-led collaboration will identify priority countries and foster joint research for late blight management.
The AfricaBlight Network was officially launched on October 27 in Naivasha, Kenya, during the 13th World Potato Congress. This African-led initiative brings together researchers, agricultural institutions, and potato sector partners to create a unified response against late blight, a destructive disease impacting potato production across the continent.
Dr. Peter VanderZaag, President of the World Potato Congress, inaugurated the network, which aims to share knowledge and conduct joint research. Late blight causes significant crop losses, estimated globally between USD 3 billion and USD 7 billion annually, and increases production costs through heavy fungicide use, which can be 10-25% of a harvest's value.
The network will focus on countries including Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Eritrea, seeking to strengthen farmer training and disease surveillance. Partnerships with institutions like Kenya's Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) are central to connecting scientific advances with farmers' needs for effective disease management.
Why it mattersKenyan farmers and others across Africa will benefit from improved management of late blight, a disease that reduces potato yields and increases crop protection costs.