The European Potato Trade Association Europatat is part of an international consortium participating in the ADAPT (Accelerated Development of Multiple Stress Potato) research project. This project aims to develop new strategies to make potatoes suitable for the challenging growing conditions of the future. The ADAPT project started in July 2020 and will run for three years with a total budget of 5 million euros, Agrobusiness reports.
The needs of potato growers are of fundamental interest to researchers, industrial partners and breeders involved in the project. In an online survey, ADAPT asked farmers for insight into climate change, their experiences with climate impacts on potato production, and their need for adapted potato varieties.
In total, the responsible partner of the ADAPT study - the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) - received 553 responses, most of which were from potato farmers in Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland, Slovenia, Belgium. Poland, Spain and Great Britain.
More than 80% of potato growers indicated that drought and heat have increasingly affected their potato production over the past 10 years. Moreover, almost 50% of those surveyed identified climate change as the main threat to growing potatoes on their farms. According to over 50% of farmers, pests and pathogens caused by climatic conditions also had a negative impact. More than 40% noted the impact of heavy rainfall. Similar responses were received when asked about potential deterioration in potato production in the future.