POTATOES FOR SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY

André DevauxInternational Potato Center (CIP)2014 EAPR CongressJuly 7, 2014

Family Ahmed in Egypt

More than a billion people eat potatoes around the world

* From “Food Around The World” with Peter Menzel’s pictures from the book "Hungry Planet"

Family Namgay in Bhutan

The potato is the third most important food crop in the

world

* From “Food Around The World” with Peter Menzel’s pictures from the book "Hungry Planet"

Family Ayme in PerúThe potato is recommended as a food security crop as the world still faces

steady hunger rates

* From “Food Around The World” with Peter Menzel’s pictures from the book "Hungry Planet"

Why do potato-based systems represent an increasingly important opportunity for the poor in terms of:• Food security• Poverty alleviation• Improved health status?

POTATOES FOR SUSTAINABLE GLOBALFOOD SECURITY

Outline

Hunger, Agriculture and Potato Global Trends How is CIP’s current research portfolio reaching the poor? CIP strategic plan addressing Food and Nutrition Security

with Potato Science

2 billions people suffer from hidden hunger• Prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies -

Image from HarvestPlus

Agriculture growth is a key factor since most of the poor depend on agriculture

Economic growth is necessary but not sufficient to accelerate reduction of hunger and malnutrition

“If support is given to small-scale farmers, so they become self-sufficient, we would solve 40% to 60% of the global food insecurity problem”. From: Ajay Vir Jakhar, Chairman Farmers' Forum India in a debate on “Rethinking Global Food Security”

Potato is cultivated in areas of prevalent poverty and malnutrition in the world (such as mountain areas)

Agriculture and Potato growth to reduce hunger in the world

Potato Global trendsPotato Global trends

Changes in Global Potato Production

World

Developed countriesDeveloping countries

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2010

Countries

Developed countries195.22 184.64 168.69 193.59 162.25 182.04 163.58 171.79 155.25 143.88

Developing countries84.09 93.44 102.38 117.71 131.41 146.51 152.41 157.77 159.12 180.53

World 279.32 278.09 271.07 311.31 300.67 328.55 315.95 329.56 314.37 324.42

Fuente: FAOSTAT

Fuente: FAO 2011

2010

Potato consumption indeveloping countries is increasing

Source: FAOSTAT

Growth in production of Staple food crops in China

Source: FAOSTAT

Source: FAOSTAT

Percent change in crop productionof staple food crops in SSA ( 1994-2011 )

Outline

Hunger, Agriculture and Potato Global Trends How is CIP’s current research portfolio reaching the poor? CIP strategy addressing Food and Nutrition Security with

Potato Science

CIP’s Mission: to work with partners to achieve food security, well-being and gender equity for poor people in root and tuber farming and food systems in the developing world. We do this through research and innovation in sciences, technology and capacity strengthening.

CIP Headquarters, PeruNairobi, Kenya

Bhutan

Kampala,

Uganda

Addis Abba,Ethiopia

Quito, EcuadorManila, Philippines

New Delhi, India

Orissa, India

Nagaland, India

Beijing,ChinaHanoi,Vietnam

Bogor,Indonesia

Lilongwe, Malawi

Maputo, Mozambique

La Paz, Bolivia

International Potato Center (CIP)

Tashkent,Uzbekistan

* Thiele, 2011

Targeting Analysis:• importance of potato crop • indicator of livelihoods

* Thiele, 2011

* Thiele, 2011

Theisen et al in preparation

Distribution of potato production and poverty, China

PRIORITYAREASFOR INVESTMENT IN POTATO RESEARCH ANDINNOVATION

Andean South America • Bolivia, • Perú, • Ecuador, • Colombia.

The Indo-Gangetic basin of southern Asia • Bangladesh,• India, • Nepal, • Pakistan.

China• Several interior provinces

in southwest to north production zones.

Higher altitude areas of Sub-Saharan Africa • Ethiopia, Cameroon, • Kenya, Burundi,• Rwanda, Uganda, • Tanzania, DRC (Kivu)

Malawi, Angola, • Nigeria, Mozambique, • Madagascar.

Central and western Asia and the Caucasus• Tajikistan, • Kyrgyzstan.• Armenia, • Azerbaijan.

Ecosystem/ Sector Constraints• Small Farms• Hillside Agriculture• Dispersed production

Production Constraints• Multiple, overlapping

seasons

• High pest and disease pressure

Institutional Constraints

• Limited infrastructure

• Limited quality inputs

• Disorganized sector

Pro-poor technologies: save costs, by reducing use of inputs, which favors adoption by poor farmers: • Late blight and virus resistance, earliness• Integrated Pest Management (IPM), • Better adapted seed systems• Biofortification

CIP’s RESEARCHPORTAFOLIO

Potato as staple: improve livelihoods and food security of poor farmers (Agriculture based countries)

Potato has a dual role for producers:

Potato as a high value crop: Pathway out of poverty (Urbanized & Transforming countries)

Access dynamic markets: Better competitiveness• Sustainable Agriculture Intensification • Public-private partnership

Outline

Hunger, Agriculture and Potato Global Trends How is CIP’s current research portfolio reaching the poor? CIP strategy addressing Food and Nutrition Security with

Potato Science

CIP NEW STRATEGIC PLAN

Maximize the contribution of potato and sweet potato science to enhance CIP’s tangible impact on food and nutrition security in identified target regions.

Six strategic objectives (SO):• 1 on Sweetpotato (production, nutrition and health)• 5 on Potato

Potato strategic objective 2: Focused in Asia through the intensification of local

cereal-based systems with the early-maturing agile potato

Potato

1st Transplanted boro rice

Boro nursery

2nd Transplanting after potato harvest

Challenge:

• To fit into existing windows (70-80 days) left fallows in different cereal based systems

• Development and use of heat tolerant early “agile” potato varieties More information: Mohinder Kadian, presentation 15

Potato strategic objective 3: Improving livelihoods of potato farmers in Africa by tackling deteriorated seed quality through an integrated approach.

Rapid multiplication technologies aeroponics or sand hydroponics

Decentralized seed production by promotion of quality declared seed systems 

On-farm seed maintenance through positive selection, small seed‐plot technique, improved storage

Involvement of private sector and creating entrepreneurial opportunities for young and female farmer

Monica Parker, Paper 14 and 111

Potato strategic objective 4: Evolving discoveries in genetics, molecular biology,

genomics and cellular biology.

Disease-free potatoCurrent main biotic threats causing yield gap:

• Late blight

• Bacterial wilt

• Viruses (PVY, PVX, PLRV)

Ecosystem-Flexible Potato to allow potato cultivation to be extendedto the lowland tropics and temperate regions

• Adding on early bulking

• Tolerance to heat and drought

• Modulating the short-day

dependence of tuberization

Marc Ghislain (26), Ph. Monneveux KNL 6 and David Ramirez (59)

Potato strategic objective 5: Addressing vulnerability to food insecurity

through roots and tubers in the Andes and Asia

• Analyzing how physical, environmental, economic, social and health risks affect food systems

• Develop framework for food vulnerability analysis

• Design resilience intervention models

Pilot analysis in the Andes and in Asia based on experiences with innovation in food and nutritional security

Food insecurity and climate change

Thomas Zumfelde, presentation 39, Dieudonné Harahagazwe (17)

Andes, biodiversity as entry point

• Nutrition• Income• Adaptation

to climate shocks

5000 native potato varieties cultivated in the Andes

Accs CountriesPotato 158 10,343 21 32,569 80Sweetpotato 68 8,149 59 18,128 62ARTC 46 2,546 13 3,447 22Total 272 21,038 62** 54,144 97**

Distributed (2003-2013)

** Unique countries

Countries representedAccessionsSpecies

A vision of conservation on a global scale by the creation of a World Potato and Sweetpotato Collection linking all potato and sweetpotato genebanks and in situ conservation efforts

Potato strategic objective 6: The CIP Genebank: Preserving the Global Diversity

of Potato, Sweetpotato & ARTCs

Conclusions1. Potato significant vehicle for

targeting global poverty and malnutrition

2. Potato dual role in Food Security strategy:

- Staple food grown and consumed by poor people

- Sold in high value market

3. Future prospects:- Biofortification- More efficient seed systems- New market demands (urbanization)- Building resilient food systems (climate

change)- Drought-tolerance- Disease-free potato

4 . Need to move towards a more integrative science and development approaches (convergence),

5 . Need of new partnership with civil and private sectors including strong national and international collaboration.

a.devaux@cgiar.org

Thank you!

Open discussion on collaboration EAPR-CIPThursday 10, 18:15Creativity/Exploration room