Potatoes regain importance in North Kivu, DRCCEFR A2
10 Oct 2025
Adapted from Laura, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Daniel Dan, Unsplash
Potato cultivation has grown again in parts of North Kivu. Varieties such as Lubero and Rutshuru were once for festivities but are now a daily staple. The DRC produced 101,000 tons in 2018 and potatoes can supply digestible energy for 109 million people.
Production faces problems: bad roads, long trips to cities (Kisangani is 800 km, Kinshasa 2,000 km) and rainy seasons when a truck can take a month and crops can perish. Diseases such as mildew, bacterial wilt and viral infections also reduce yields. CERAVEG and university researchers develop better seeds from over 10,000 hybrid seedlings. Farmers who adopt improved varieties and training report higher harvests and more income.
Difficult words
- potato — A type of vegetable used for food.potatoes
- farm — To grow plants or raise animals for food.farming, farmers
- variety — A type of something that is different.varieties
- disease — An illness that can make plants or people unhealthy.diseases
- training — Teaching someone how to do something.
- import — To bring goods into a country from abroad.imported
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- What benefits do local farmers get from training?
- How can new potato varieties help farmers?
- Why is food security important for a country?
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