Consumed by over a billion people worldwide, the potato has long been one of the most important crops for preventing hunger. However, in some of the world's remaining poor countries, a range of barriers is preventing this staple food from delivering the full range of benefits for a sustainable fight against hunger, poverty and malnutrition.
High seed import costs and underdeveloped seed systems make potatoes out of reach for both farmers and consumers in countries such as Sudan, Yemen, Madagascar, Eritrea and Angola.
To begin with, development partners should prioritize strategies that increase access to affordable, high quality seeds in food insecure countries.
Improving potato seed systems so that open access varieties are propagated and supplied to small farmers would allow countries to become more self-sufficient in seed production, and would also help develop a sustainable and profitable potato sector.
While supporting the adoption of the potato as a key crop to help improve food security, development organizations should also provide training on good practices in regions where this is underdeveloped. High yields with sustainable land management practices are critical to supporting growing potato markets, especially in countries such as Madagascar and Yemen, where farmers often lack access to the necessary training and good agronomic practices.
Finally, agricultural scientists and breeders also need support to improve and promote climate-resilient potato varieties.
For example, the Unica potato variety, developed by scientists at the International Potato Center (CIP), is not only more resistant to viruses that can significantly reduce yields, but also to extreme water stress. Farmers in Kenya have received up to 19 tons per hectare from Unica with a seasonal rainfall of 118 mm, where typically at least 450-550 mm of rain is required to achieve such yields.
In addition, the development of potato markets in these regions also means the development of systems that bring more food to people. For example, growing potatoes on the land between rice crops allows farmers to diversify production and increase the productivity of the land.