Climate change-resilient potatoes

Executive Summary

This project is a consortium among leading institutions in research, development and innovation in Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia, as well as within the potato production sector in the Andean region. Its main goal is to reduce vulnerability to climate change, incorporating new families and advanced potato clones with early maturity and resilience to drought. Participatory genetic improvement programs and inter-institutional capacities will be strengthened, focusing on improving communication among different actors of the potato production chain, as well as the participating agencies. Additionally, a communication platform will be implemented among members for the identification of future cultivars with advantageous traits, using standardized approaches for clone evaluation and selection. This strategy will also enable the training of young researchers and other participants in new breeding strategies and data analysis and management. 

The technological solution

The project will help to reduce the economic and food risk associated with climate variability in small and medium potato producers in the Andean region. The project strategy is based on incorporating new families and advanced potato clones with early maturity and resilience to drought, previously identified by CIP, through the establishment of observation and multiplication plots, the identification of clones derived from families with high genetic merit from each testing country and the evaluation and selection of advanced clones for their adherence to the above traits.

Results

Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries of this project are farming families in Andean agroecosystems susceptible to drought. In Colombia, it will directly impact more than 700 producers from the Cundiboyacense highland region, and indirectly impact the potato production system that involves 100,000 families dedicated to its cultivation. In Ecuador, the direct beneficiaries will be 200 families in the Sierra Region and 150 families from the Coastal Region (Puerto La Boca and Cantagallo) which will indirectly benefit at least 2,000 families. In Bolivia, 420 producers will be directly impacted using methodologies such as: guided visits, field days, and the use of virtual platforms, thus reaching farming families in the areas of the valleys. Likewise, at least 800 families will be indirectly impacted. Finally, it is expected to impact at least 530 technicians, researchers, teachers, and students from the partner entities of the platform and up to 3,000 members of the potato community through events to disseminate results. In conclusion, the project will impact a total of 5,000 direct beneficiaries.

Sustainable Development Goals

Main donors

Dissemination products