Toward Alleviating Poverty of Rural Potato Farmers by Strengthening the Potato Seed System in Bangladesh: A Rapid Rural Appraisal

The majority of people in Bangladesh live below the poverty line on an in-come of less than US$1 per day. Increased productivity of food crops, such as potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), would help to alleviate poverty. Farmers can increase potato productivity by using good quality seed, but poor potato farmers can afford to buy only poor quality seed from informal sources. Seed produced through the formal certified seed system meets only 5–6 % of the seed requirement. Potato growers and extension workers are not familiar with improved agro-techniques for on-farm production of high-quality seed. Strengthening technology for on-farm seed production and diffusion through the informal seed system could increase income and enhance the social status of poor farmers. Most people in Bangladesh make their livings from the land, either as small-holders with an average farm size of 0.76 ha (Hossain et al., 2001) or as landles