Strengthen potato value chain.

 

 Given the upheaval in international food markets throughout much of 2008, the arrival of the year could not have been timelier. Although there had been increasing awareness of the importance of potato as a source of food, employment and income, the International Year of the Potato encouraged policy-makers, agronomists and economists to re-evaluate the potato in its role as an ideal crop to sustain food security through crisis. After all, potato prices are determined mainly by local production costs and can constitute an effective substitute for costly grain imports. All of this contributed to shifting the perception of the potato from that of an ordinary food for the poor to one that recognizes the tuber’s solid nutritional benefits and its role in counteracting the effects of cereal price inflation. This also led to growing awareness that realizing the full potential of the potato depends on a renewed commitment to potato research. In November of the International Year, the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) and FAO co-sponsored a workshop, “Strengthening Potato Value Chains in Developing Countries”, at FAO headquarters in Rome. Hailed as one of the International Year’s major events, CFC and FAO used it as an opportunity to launch a new research agenda for potato in the developing world, targeted towards providing critical improvements along the potato value chain. Workshop participants recognized that efforts to enhance the potato value chain will be successful only if there are substantial levels of public and private investment in the sector.

This includes supporting breeding programmes for delivering clean and high quality potato seed tuber, good agricultural practices, infrastructural improvements and initiatives to support and coordinate activities along the chain. 

The International Year of the Potato gave impetus to this effort. It raised awareness of the need for a coalition of stakeholders and for increased scientific support to work toward improving the productivity, profitability and sustainability of potato-based systems, and encouraged a renewed sense of responsibility on the part of the international community for agriculture and rural development. It also provided opportunities to report on the current status of potato value chains, on the key constraints to better functioning potato value chains, and on how value chains can be redesigned to enhance rural development, improve livelihoods and counter food price inflation in developing countries. Above all, this global recognition of the importance of the potato presented a unique opportunity for all stakeholders along the value chain to work together toward a shared goal. By spreading awareness, the overall success of the International Year was to catalyze potato development programmes beyond 2008, to make a real and sustained contribution to the fight against hunger and poverty. A publication elaborating on best practices for sustainable potato production was released in 2009. This publication presents the work of those who participated in the workshop and contributed to raising awareness about the important role of potato