08/04/2015

The Benefit-sharing Fund of the International Treaty has helped more than 440 local Peruvian potato producers conserve and manage their native potato varieties through the establishment of seed orchards in 23 communities other activities, including the promotion of 28 commercial varieties and the documentation of 211 new breeding varieties.

"We are pleased to note that the final report of the project funded by the International Treaty shows results that are beyond the initial baseline objectives," said Shakeel Bhatti, Secretary of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.  "This project has increased both the availability and the access to native varieties of potato, and supported traditional and new management practices to quality and food security."

The project, implemented in collaboration with Asociación Solaris of Peru, faced numerous challenges, and succeeded in increasing the potato production and commercial revenue through the establishment of farmers’ associations and local seed banks, where participatory seed selection was carried out.

One of the most successful components of the project has been the revitalization and adoption of technologies and good practices related to soil and water management that were made possible through training and capacity development activities vis-a-vis organic fertilization and product marketing. Some of these activities were implemented thanks to renewed collaboration with the National Institute of Agrarian Innovation (INIA ) and with local institutions and the municipalities.

Putting native varieties on the map!

The project designed a monitoring system of the varieties maintained on farm by the local communities in region of Andahuaylas in order to help facilitate local governments and public institutions integrate activities related to conservation and sustainable use of native potatoes germplasm. The information related to each producer is displayed on interactive maps where users can search and browse online the information on the production system, including the varieties cultivated within each farm, the number of kilos produced, as well as a photograph of the crop in the farm.

The Project also added value to existing germplasm through documentation and the morphological characterization. Farmers participated in the description of the colour and shape of the tubers and the plants, and other useful information generated for the 211 varieties. This information will be linked through the Global Information System of the Treaty and the unique varieties identified included in the Multilateral System of the International Treaty through its deposit in the genebank of INIA in the course of this year.

Check the google maps: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zFaZR2lCVjEU.kb1tgAYp5ehY