![]() ![]() Many farmers are migrating, and others are replacing their traditional potatoes with improved varieties or other crops. The reasons for this decline can be complex. “For example, in Chile, Indigenous and peasant communities once grew between 800 to 1,000 native potato varieties,” said Manuela. Vanishing Potatoesīut that diversity is also eroding away. Plant breeders can harness the diversity of landraces by using a range of techniques to select from a whole ‘menu’ of traits, which they can then use to breed improved potato varieties that are more resilient to the challenges of today and the unknown challenges of the future. It’s only fair to ask: should we be concerned about conserving all this diversity?”Īll of these landraces have, over time, developed mechanisms to cope with all sorts of challenges, including pests and diseases, drought, and high temperatures. “The Indigenous farmers of the Andes alone grow more than 3,000 types. “There are thousands of landraces of potatoes,” said Manuela Nagel, a plant genetic resources specialist at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) and lead author of the strategy. And that’s why the Crop Trust supported a project to update a global crop conservation strategy for the crop. To ensure that potato diversity is conserved forever, a global effort is required. Cultivated potato is the third most consumed crop globally and important not only for food, but also for the animal feed, pharmaceutical, textile and paper industries. As well as conserving diversity, they are also nurturing traditional knowledge.īut these guardians of potato diversity can’t do it alone. Some members of AGUAPAN (Association of Guardians of the Native Potato of Central Peru) cultivate hundreds of potato landraces – traditional local varieties. They are conserving the diversity of their staple food: the potato. In the highlands of Peru, a group of farmers safeguard their livelihoods and those of future generations. Strategic Development of the Crop Trustīy Michael Major Crop Diversity Digest Contributor.Darwin Initiative-funded Sweetpotato Project.Our Commitment to Responsible Investing.What Will It Cost To Secure Global Diversity Forever?. ![]() ![]() The need to conserve crop diversity within a rational, efficient global system has been recognized in various international agreements ![]()
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