Webinar: “Participatory selection of sweet potato varieties in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) – Farmer-led evaluation using the tricot approach”, 24 September

21 September 2026

Join us for our latest webinar where Dr Niambet Jean-Michel Koffi, plant breeder in the Root and Tuber Crops Program at the National Center for Agronomic Research, will give a presentation on a participatory evaluation of five high-yielding sweet potato varieties in the Gbêkê region of central Côte d’Ivoire.

Date: Thursday 24 September
Time: 15:00–15:30 (CET)

Summary

Working across four localities, 66 sweet potato farmers each evaluated three of the five varieties using the tricot approach, following the crop from one month after planting through to harvest. Dr Koffi’s work focuses on selecting high-yielding sweet potato and taro varieties suited to the needs of end users, and this study shows how farmer rankings can surface the traits that matter most in practice. The results reveal significant differences between varieties across germination, vigour, tuber number and size, and overall farmer satisfaction.

In this webinar, you will learn:

• How the tricot approach was used to evaluate five sweet potato varieties with 66 farmers across four localities in the Gbêkê region
• What farmer participation looked like across a full season, from one month after planting through to harvest
• Which traits differed significantly between varieties, including germination, vigour, and tuber number and size
• Why the preferred variety at two months after planting turns out to be the trait most strongly linked to overall satisfaction
• How participatory varietal selection can align breeding decisions with the needs of end users in Côte d’Ivoire

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