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Interview with Graham Thiele -- Roots, Tubers & Bananas CRP leader
The goal of the Roots, Tubers and Bananas CRP is to more fully tap into the potentials of these often under-valued crops to create more diverse and robust food systems that reduce food shortages and improve lives. The program is prioritizing stakeholder consultation to make sure research is relevant to the end-users.
In the following interview, Graham Thiele, the new Director for the CRP RTB program, gave an update about where the program is going and the importance of two-way communication:
Q: What is your first priority for the CRP RTB program?
Graham: The program design for this CRP involved a very extensive consultation process. We had a bit of a lull due the final approval period but now we are trying to recapture the momentum and goodwill that was generated.
Q: Is communication an important factor to this process?
Graham: Two-way communication is fundamental – it is absolutely an essential feature of the Root, Tuber and Bananas CRP. There is always a risk that researchers aren’t aware of the real opportunities and needs of the end-users. The end result is detached research. Therefore good communication means that you have a single system that is interlinked and making sure that research is tracking in the right direction.
Q: Is this process of stakeholder communication new to the CGIAR?
Graham: While stakeholder consultation is not new, this CRP builds upon the process in a bigger way, as it cuts not only across crops but also Centers and a broader community of stakeholders. So this is a great opportunity to enhance communications across topics of common interest among Centers.
Q: Any challenges you’d like to mention?
Graham: One of the problems with Roots, Tubers and Bananas is that their importance tends to be underestimated by Ministers of Agriculture and planners. So we want to get more evidence onto the table highlighting the importance of these crops. A lot of emphasis will be placed on gathering evidence and targeting consultation with end-users about their needs to inform our priority setting – “placing our bets.”
Q: How’s that going?
Graham: First we need to understand what’s happening on the ground where these crops are grown. As well, we need to know what’s happening among the four Centers and our partners – what are the new technologies being developed? Which of these make the most sense? There’s a really big range to choose among – from high-tech biotechnologies to low-tech farmer practices on the fields. We’d like to know which is the best set of technologies to take forward and under which conditions – that’s the priority setting.
More questions we’re asking are: What do the users want and need? What are the opportunities to match what we have on the research side that meet the demands of the end-users? We also want to understand local diversity and how gender comes into selection of technology. Once we answer these questions, then we can know how to move forward.
Q: Any stars among the Roots, Tubers, and Bananas that we should know about that are popping up as you do your priority setting?
Graham: The star among the Roots Tubers and Bananas is diversity and how this contributes to improved food security and incomes. This is our take home message.
More information:
Graham Thiele -- g.thiele@cgiar.org
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CIP staff reflect on the value of conserving nature for Earth Day
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Our women scientists inspire us
Women play a critical role in producing root and tuber crops. They are also the decision makers in families and communities regarding health and nutrition, and keepers of a wealth of knowledge surrounding crop production and benefits. (Versión en español aqui)
Dinah Borus is a CIP agronomist working as a value chain leader in Kenya
1. What inspires you about your work?
Seeing a happier farmer inspires me. I want to improve someone’s life as I improve mine. I always want to see the African farmer – both the old and the young – doing agriculture as a business by employing contemporary technologies and best practices, and meeting all their basic needs from the farm. I wish to see an efficient agricultural sector, and in particular, a vibrant potato subsector.
2. Does being a woman give you a particular perspective?
Yes. The majority of smallholder farmers in Africa are women, and I feel my presence inspires these women. I think women are patient and have the passion to make an impact.
3. What advice would you give to aspiring female scientists?
Their contribution is needed to make a positive change in the world. Their innovativeness, rich knowledge, and skills can bring about the required paradigm shift.
Benny Ordoñez is a biologist in the Genetics and Crop Improvement program
1. What inspires you about your work?
Contributing to the development of potato varieties that are resistant to different pests and diseases means that our work at CIP adds to the global effort to help low-income farmers – and this is very satisfying, knowing that we are helping improve the quality of life for many people.
2. Does being a woman give you a particular perspective?
I think that one of the most interesting characteristics we bring as women is intuition, and this gives us a broader perspective (and applies to our research).
3. What advice would you give to aspiring female scientists?
To add the component of innovation into their research and incorporate past experiences – this will help them have ambitious, but realistic goals.
Gabriela Burgos is a biologist and Head of CIP’s Quality and Nutrition laboratory
1. What inspires you about your work?
It is very inspiring to know that our program’s objective is to reduce malnutrition among the world’s most vulnerable populations.
2. Does being a woman give you a particular perspective?
The studies on malnutrition stress that the role of the woman is very important to reduce malnutrition and poverty levels. With this in mind, I always try to share the information from my work with other women, especially mothers who want the best for their children.
3. What advice would you give to aspiring female scientists?
We should never limit our aspirations just because we are women. We should always work with enthusiasm, optimism and trust in our society. Also, we should always demonstrate that being a woman comes with a gift – motherhood and working efficiently.
Giovanna Muller is a plant virologist at CIP
1. What inspires you about your work?
I am inspired by the mysticism of my work and the opportunity to make changes that can benefit people in need, especially children. However, one must be realistic and also strive to improve the lives of those close to you, not only as a professional, but as a person.
2. Does being a woman give you a particular perspective?
I think it’s marvelous to be a woman! Though I don’t think that being a woman gives me a particular perspective – rather our genetic make-up and life’s lesson are what give me my unique perspective as an individual.
3. What advice would you give to aspiring female scientists?
Always persevere with your ideals. Always strive to be better. Learn from the obstacles and mistakes, and never lose your values. This is what makes us successful – understanding that a successful person is someone who carries out their duties diligently and is happy on a daily basis.
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Dr. Pamela K. Anderson joins high-level panel to discuss “Feed the world, protect the planet”
Dr. Anderson is participating in a high-level panel called “Feed the world, protect the planet”, moderated by the BBC’s Nik Gowing, on Wednesday, 22 February at 9:45 am (CET). The panel is part of a two-day event with world leaders, renowned agricultural strategists, and farmer representatives.
Panel participants also will include Nivedita Banerji, Co-Founder and Secretary of India’s Samaj Pragati Sahayog, a non-governmental initiatives for water and food security; Estrella Penunia Banzuela, Secretary General of the Asian Farmer’s Association for Sustainable Development; Andre Leu, President of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements; and Bruce McNamer, President and CEO of TechnoServe, a non-profit economic development organization.
Here is the live webcast: http://webcasting.ifad.org/gc2012
Pose questions live or in advance at: http://tiny.cc/tf0fi
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Other prominent speakers at the meeting will include Akinwunmi Ayo Adesina, Minister of Agriculture of Nigeria; Marie-Josée Jacobs, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs of Luxemburg; Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, CEO of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network; and Carlos Seré, Chief Development Strategist at IFAD.
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Adaptable, nutritious Ahipa offers vast potential for food security in Africa
“I was fascinated to learn about Ahipa which combined the advantages of both legumes and roots in one crop,” recalls Gruneberg.
“I was surprised that it was so largely neglected,” he added.
In 1993, when he had the opportunity to go on an Ahipa seed collection trip to Bolivia, Gruneberg’s original insight about the value of Ahipa was reaffirmed. He was taken by how broad a gene pool this Andean yam bean had – exciting stuff for a breeder.
“I saw that Ahipa had huge potential for benefitting agriculture in developing countries because of its large gene-pool which offers high adaptability, yield and nutrition,” notes Gruneberg. So in 2008, when a Call for Proposal from the Belgium Development Cooperation landed on his lap specifically looking for neglected crops– he knew he had “the” neglected crop. CIP’s Ahipa proposal was selected among 21 and is now a four-year CIP project being carried out in Sub-Saharan Africa with local partners.
Ahipa is well positioned to complement cassava and sweetpotato, and increase biodiversity in the fields as the world faces rising populations and climate change. The most common ahipa is large, crunchy, juicy and usually eaten raw. It is a good source of protein, potassium, and vitamins C and K. A less common variety -- of high dry matter -- is better suited for cooking and processing, and
CIP breeders are currently working on developing this “new” ahipa. In fact, work on this "high dry matter" variety will now be fast-tracked since the Peruvian government recently granted CIP permission to use and distribute genetic material that originates from Peru’s Amazon lowlands. This presents a bigger panorama of breeding possibilities to further develop hardy, adaptable ahipas.
“Logically, this crop should be much more important than it is,” says Wolfgang. “It offers high yields in a short period of time and it’s superior to cassava in nutrition. However, the introduction of a new crop is no easy undertaking in agriculture – so we must wait until ahipa gains ground – literally – before we can claim it a success.”
The ahipa team works in a farmer participatory approach. So far, field-test farmers have expressed approval for ahipa. In Asia, ahipa is already widely cultivated since being introduced several hundred years ago from the Americas. What’s more, ahipa is a leguminous nitrogen fixing plant, meaning it can be grown without nitrogen fertilizer, making it highly suited to the needs of small farmers as an integral part of a sustainable land-use system.
The Ahipa project currently works across three continents, with an emphasis on West and Central Africa to:
• Improve availability of ahipa collections and breeding lines,
• Identify high yielding varieties that adapt to agro-forestry based farming systems,
• Detect genotypes with edible roots and seeds,
• Develop ahipa’s potential for processing and commercialization.
CIP is collaborating on the project with agricultural research institutes in Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Benin, Ghana, DR Congo, and the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. They are combining research from Africa, Europe, and Latin America to increase the availability of yam bean collections and breeding lines, identify high-yielding varieties adapted to agro-forestry-based or maize-mixed farming systems, and develop its commercial potential. Impact assessment studies have been integrated, as well, to identify where resources can be used most effectively to maximize benefits and adoption.
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Towards the One Corporate System (OCS)
Representatives from nine CGIAR centers and the Consortium Office gathered for three weeks at the International Potato Center (CIP) in Lima, Peru from October 31 to November 18 to test and refine prototypes of the new One Corporate System. The impetus for OCS reaches back several years, when Finance and Administration Directors from several centers, including CIP, began investigating the potential cost savings and added efficiencies that could be gained from adopting a joint system. That potential has become even more important with the advent of new, cross-Center CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs) and demands for greater accountability from funders.
"Calculations indicate already that we are saving US$550,000 per Center by purchasing a system jointly instead of individually,” explains Carlos Alonso, CIP’s Executive Director of Strategy and Corporate Development, who has been leading his organization’s involvement with OCS and helping to coordinate the workshops. “And we’ll be achieving significant annual costs savings from a common hosted infrastructure to reduce equipment and maintenance costs,” he adds.
The project to develop OCS has been underway for more than a year. In preparation for this meeting, staff from multiple Centers and numerous professional disciplines spent several weeks identifying and aligning key business processes, terminology, and other details to prepare for the conversion to the common system.
The CGIAR has a global public mandate to help eradicate hunger and poverty, improve health and nutrition, and enhance ecosystem resilience through advances in agricultural research. The pressures of climate change, population growth, and increasing hunger are adding greater urgency to the task. The CGIAR centers operate mostly in developing countries, and work with extensive networks of partners. Such a system requires robust and sophisticated ways to aggregate results, reduce redundancies, and improve efficiencies for a better investment of time and donor funding.
Alonso is not alone in touting the benefits of the new cross-center system. “It may sound like a tedious and technical exercise,” explains one participant, “but when you see a demonstration of what OCS can do, its functionality and how it can resolve tough problems, well, that really is worth getting excited about.”
View Report on OCS Prototype Approval Workshops – Oct 31st to Nov 18th CIP Lima, Peru
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Bridging the gender gap in capacity development
Here is the full link to an "Impact Blog" posted by USAID by Anabela Manhica. She discusses her experience as an AWARD fellow and the importance of closing the gender gap in agricultural capacity development activities in Africa. Anabela also highlights her work with orange-fleshed sweetpotato and mentoring with CIP's Sweetpotato Breeder & Seed Systems Specialist Maria Andrade:
"African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) is a professional development program supported by USAID and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that strengthens the research and leadership skills of African women in agricultural science. As an AWARD Fellow, I am working to improve the livelihoods of those living in my country’s rural communities through the dissemination of agricultural technologies, using innovation platforms for technology adoption in maize and other crops – a method that involves all actors in the value chain – and at the same time testing the use of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes for both humans and livestock. This sweet potato variety helps reduce vitamin A deficiency in children under 5 years old and can improve food security not just in Mozambique, but also throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Its use for livestock can reduce the cost of animal feed, providing additional benefits to smallholder farmers.
Mentoring is also a key component of the AWARD program. While there are many heroes in agriculture in Africa, the person who has inspired me most in my work is Dr. Maria Isabel Andrade, a crop breeder working with the orange-fleshed sweet potato. Dr. Andrade sets an example for researchers like me because she does not stop at plant breeding—she ensures that the developed varieties actually reach smallholder farmers so that the crop’s intended impacts in people’s lives are realized. Through my work, I hope to complement her efforts by diversifying the diets of rural Mozambican communities through the introduction of animal proteins, helping to increase nutrition and fight hunger in the areas of my country that need it the most."
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Investing in sweetpotato diversity for nutrition and food security
Leveraging the value of this versatile crop, the Global Crop Diversity Trust (GCDT) has granted the International Potato Center (CIP) US$ 1 million for five years to support, maintain, conserve, and make available sweet potato varieties. It is an “in perpetuity” grant, which will automatically renew every five years to ensure the sweet potato collection is maintained and conserved for future generations.
CIP’s extensive sweetpotato collection contains nearly 8,000 sweetpotato accessions -- among which 4,615 are native, 1,984 are improved and 1,178 wild -- from all over the Americas, Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. The importance of the collection is to conserve living samples to ensure that the genetic resources that underpin our food supply are both secure in the long term and available for use by farmers, plant breeders, and researchers. CIP’s genebank holds more than 80% of the world’s sweetpotato cultivars. This genetic diversity provides the arsenal for scientists to help the crop adapt to changing environments: the pressures of climate change and threats from pests and disease.
Sweetpotato gives more edible energy per hectare per day than wheat, rice, or cassava. Its ability to produce better yields in poor conditions with less labor makes sweetpotato particularly suitable as a crop for households threatened by civil disorder, migration, or diseases such as AIDS. The leaves and shoots are edible, and a good source of vitamins A, C and B (riboflavin). The roots and vines are also used as healthy animal feed.
Orange-fleshed sweet potato is an important source of beta-carotene (the precursor to vitamin A). Just 125g of fresh roots from most orange-fleshed varieties contain enough beta-carotene to provide the daily pro-vitamin A needs of a preschooler. This is particularly important in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia where vitamin A deficiency is a leading cause of blindness, disease, and premature death among children under five and pregnant women. CIP has developed a color chart, which can be used to easily identify levels of beta-carotene in sweet potato roots based on their flesh color. Purple-fleshed varieties are packed with anti-oxidants, while white-fleshed varieties are ideal for processing. Sweetpotato also provides inexpensive, high-protein fodder for animals.
First domesticated more than 5,000 years ago in Latin America, sweetpotato is grown in more developing countries than any other root crop. It is one of the world’s most important food crops in terms of human consumption, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, parts of Asia, and the Pacific Islands. Despite its name, sweetpotato is not related to the potato. It is a root, not a tuber, and belongs to the morning-glory family. Many parts of the plant are edible, including leaves, roots, and vines, and varieties exist with a wide range of skin and flesh color, from white to yellow-orange and deep purple.
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Giving thanks to the Vitamin A in sweetpotato
Getting this sweet crop to the 250,000 to 500,000 preschool children who go blind annually from VAD is vital, particularly as two-thirds of them are likely to die within a year if the VAD is left unattended. The International Potato Center (CIP) project -- Sweetpotato Action for Security and Health in Africa (SASHA) — leverages the sweetpotatoes’ potential to significantly improve the nutrition, incomes, and food production of farming families in sub-Saharan Africa, especially among impoverished women and children. The project now aims to incorporate this Vitamin A-rich crop into local menus. SASHA is promoting orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) varieties that are rich in pro-vitamin A by distributing OFSP recipes at Pick n Pay supermarket’s in Mozambique.
“It is expected that 51 new Pick n Pay groceries stores will open across Mozambique in five years . If we can put sweetpotato in these markets we can really make a difference with this crop and increase farmers’ incomes. We are also working with the best restaurants and hotels to include sweetpotato in their menu,” says Maria Andrade, Sweetpotato Breeder & Seed Systems Specialist.
Sweetpotato is the third most important food crop in East Africa in terms of production and the fourth most important in Southern Africa. It can produce better yields in poor conditions with fewer inputs and less labor than other staples, making it particularly suitable for households threatened by migration, civil disorder, or diseases such as AIDS. In addition, the new 15 drought tolerant varieties released in Mozambique are suitable for disaster mitigation such as drought. Yet the potential of sweetpotato to address these challenges is largely untapped due to a lack of investment to improve yields, market potential, and its negative perception as a poor person’s food.
SASHA is part of a 10-year, multi-donor Sweetpotato for Profit and Health Initiative (SPHI), which seeks to reduce child malnutrition and improve smallholder incomes and livelihoods through greater awareness, expanded market opportunities, and the diversified use of sweetpotato in Sub-Saharan Africa. It’s potential for sweetening the lives of Africa’s poor is widely recognized. SPHI is a multi-donor, multi-partner initiative that is expected to improve lives for 10 million Sub-Saharan households.
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Effectively Reducing Vitamin A Deficiency in Children and Women in Mozambique with Orange-fleshed Sweetpotato
Harvest Plus put out this press release today to highlight the importance of this study. Below is an excerpt:
"The OSP, conventionally bred to be rich in vitamin A, was distributed to more than 10,000 households in Zambezia Province in northern Mozambique . Many of these households traditionally grew and ate yellow or white sweet potato which are poor vitamin A sources. The project resulted in about 65% of households adopting OSP. While many farmers substituted OSP for yellow or white ones on their plots, a good number were ‘new’ sweet potato farmers. Due to adoption, household consumption of OSP and thus, vitamin A intakes, increased substantially. On average vitamin A intakes doubled for both children and women.
By project end, OSP provided more than 70% of all dietary vitamin A and was the third most important food in the diet (after maize and rice) for young children. OSP also provided more vitamin A than other local foods such as pumpkin, leafy green vegetables, or mango. Available for about 3 months of the year, or longer in other regions, OSP can help close the VAD gap, when other vitamin A-rich foods or supplements are not available."
It is also important to note that sweetpotato requires fewer inputs and less labor than other staple crops, as well as tolerates marginal growing conditions, such as dry spells or poor soil. Sweetpotato provides more edible energy per hectare per day than wheat, rice, or cassava. Its ability to produce better yields in poor conditions with less labor makes sweetpotato particularly suitable as a crop for households threatened by migration, civil disorder, or diseases such as AIDS. Furthermore, sweetpotato is very versatile -- its vines provide a high-protein, medium-energy animal feed. This sweet tuber is a classic food security crop — one that resource-poor farmers can rely on when other crops fail.
Harvest Plus Partners in Mozambique: Helen Keller International, International Food Policy Research Institute, International Potato Center (CIP), Natural Resources Institute-University of Greenwich, World Vision International, Institute of Agricultural Research of Mozambique (IIAM).
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Sharing knowledge – Transferring research results from scientific journals onto the fields for multi-stakeholder fulfillment
CGIAR researcher Lieven Claessens works to involve different groups of stakeholders at the start of his Adaption to Climate Change Strategy project in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia to ensure his research is based on their needs and ultimately improve the impacts and outcomes.
“We engage with the farmers to find what their current problems are, we try to put that in the context of Climate Change and then we try to discuss with them feasible adaption strategies," says Claessens in the video.
“I really intentionally try to incorporate the stakeholders from the beginning…the adaption strategies we are testing are really the results we got from the first stakeholder workshops. This makes sure we are on the ground and have done a reality check,” he adds.
The challenge in knowledge sharing is to find ways to assists scientists to communicate their results in better ways. The multi-stakeholder pathway used by Lieven is exemplary in “making agricultural research available, accessible and applicable.”
“I’m not really sure that when we have our research results in the form of a graph or maps -- whether that’s the best way to communicate these results,” he concludes.
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Using multi-site experimental data for seasonal crop yield forecasting: common Bean and Potato case studies
Andean agro-ecosystems have been stated as being among the most vulnerable systems in the world, mainly because crop varieties in these areas are mostly landraces adapted to narrow environmental niches and because technology levels are rather low, compared to lowland systems. Beans and potatoes are probably the two most important crops in the Andes, partly because it’s the place where these crops originated and were domesticated, and partly because a large amount of rural population depends on those crops’ yields. Hence, adaptation to both progressive climate change and current climate risk are critical in these areas. Using the information of the AgTrials data repository for a set of key sites in the Andean region, I am exploring the feasibility of the application of two crop models (LINTUL-potato andCROPGRO-bean) over seasonal weather forecasts, to evaluate their accuracy and effectiveness for adaptation and to form the basis for improving models of agricultural production under current and future conditions.
In a joint work with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the International Potato Center (CIP), the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) and the Centro de Previsão de Tempo e Estudos Climáticos (CPTEC), a complete evaluation of the simulations of yield is being conducted in Peru for the potato crop, and in Colombia for the common bean (fig 1) with diverse data on seasonal climate originating from the ETA regional model (seasonal forecast version). I will take full advantage of the information from the experiments in AgTrials and the weather data available for (1) the calibration of the crop models, (2) the correction of systematic errors (bias) in the ETA model, and (3) the development of a method that allows to combine both, and to evaluate the precision and effectiveness of the predictions.
The initial step is a process of cleaning, and deleting to ensure the consistency of the data base of International Bean Yield Adaptation Nursery (IBYAN) existing in AgTrials, which allows the identification of problems such as: units, format, coding of variables, among others. The idea is to observe a little more thoroughly the standardization of the information of the data base, generating a template for in-field data collection that allows the integration of all the information adapted for AgTrials. Ideally the geneticists, physiologists and modellers would have participated in the compilation, capture, transmission and delivery of the information for the generation of the template. The template can be easily used by other members of the technical/scientific community, for example to share the available information in a standardized form with other users or institutions, and should include the protocols of data collection, the units of the variables in common formats, and a data dictionary, among others; it would be recommended to monitor the coding for each variable that is used in the field and for crop modeling.
Figure 1. Geographic location of study sites (blue dots) in Colombia (left) and Peru (right), and elevation (in meters) distribution across the Andean mountain chain.
Given the importance of environmental conditions for common beans and potatoes (variables that impact yield include temperature, precipitation, photoperiod, humidity, among others), as a second step we analyzed the quality of the weather data available in the data base for a daily time step applying statistical methods with the RCLIMDEX software (Sohrabi, 2009) for the quality control of weather data. Using RCLIMDEX the trends, possible jumps and seasonality were analyzed, which helped in the identification of extreme values (“outliers”) in daily temperature maxima and minima. Better results were obtained for the case of the temperature compared with precipitation. For the precipitation, additionally, the standardized precipitation index (SPI) was used to visualize the incidence and severity of wet periods and droughts, taking into consideration the growing period of common beans (90 days) and of potato in the Altiplano (180 days) (fig 2).
Figure 2. Spectrograms of the values of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) at a scale of 3 (SPI-3) and 6 (SPI-6) months for the station of a. Palmira (Colombia) and, scale of 6 (SPI-6) and 12 (SPI-12) months b. Desaguadero (Peru).
After the quality control of both the crop and weather data, I am carrying out simulations with the crop models. The precision and quality of the preliminary results reflects the work carried out by the physiologist Jeffrey White in the parameterization of the common bean model in DSSAT (CROPGRO-BEAN), using as the one of its sources the IBYAN database. My next blog post will report on the results of the crop yield simulations with observed data and data from the ETA regional model.
Reference: Sohrabi MM, Marofi S, and Ababaei B (2009) Investigation of temperature and precipitation indices by using RClimDex and R software in Semnan province. International Conference on Water Resources, 16–18 August, pp 341–348.
About Diana Giraldo:
Diana joined CIP in 2008 as a research fellow working on her Master’s thesis entitled: "Zoning and risk assessment of potato late blight associated with climate change in agricultural areas of Peru." A Colombian national, she is currently based in Brazil working at the collaborative CGIAR Challenge program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).
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Conversation: Eugenio Pecho Solis - COGEPAN Organization - FOVIDA
From September 9 to 18 the Iniciativa Papas Andinas - along with many local partners - participated at the 2011 Mistura Gastronomic Fair in Lima where farmers from all over Peru came to showcase their produce.
Below is the audio (in Spanish) of the interview with Mr. Eugenio Pecho Solís from the COGEPAN organization that works together with FOVIDA (Fomento de la Vida).
Mr. Eugenio talks us about the characteristics of his organization and their interest on participating in the Mistura Fair in search for a broader market for their potato varieties.
They came to the fair to exhibit their potatoes with special characteristics for boiling and the chip industry.
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Women and Agriculture: A Conversation on Improving Global Food Security
On September 19, 2011 Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State of the United States, was the keynote speaker at a conference entitled: "Women and Agriculture: A Conversation on Improving Global Food Security"
Following are some excerpts from the talks moderated by NY Times columnist Nick Kristof, who alludes jokingly at the end to Kathy Spahn, president and CEO CIP's partner organization Helen Keller International about Vitamin A-rich Orange-fleshed Sweetpotatoes.
Full text and videos here:
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/09/172739.htm
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State of the United States:
SECRETARY CLINTON: As we respond to this and other immediate crises, it is imperative that we stay focused on the long-term goal of strengthening global agriculture in order to produce more food, more nutritious food, and reduce hunger. The United Nations estimates that we need to increase global food production by 70 percent by the year 2050 in order to meet growing demand. That is a very serious challenge.
So what are we going to do to meet it? Well, one way that we know would yield significant results is investing more in women. This comes down to a simple matter of numbers. Women make up the majority of the agricultural workforce in many developing countries. They’re involved in every aspect of agricultural production, from planting seeds to weeding fields to harvesting crops. Yet women farmers are 30 percent less productive than male farmers, for one reason: they have access to fewer resources. They certainly work as hard and they, like farmers everywhere, are at the mercy of nature.
But these women have less fertilizer, fewer tools, poorer quality seeds, less access to training and the ownership of land. As a result, they grow fewer crops, which means less food is available at markets, more people go hungry, farmers earn less money, and we’re back in to that vicious cycle. The production gap between men and women farmers disappears when that resource gap is closed.
If all farmers, men and women, had access to the same resources, we could increase agricultural output by 20 to 30 percent. That would feed an additional 150 million people every year. And the incomes of women farmers would increase, which means more financial security for their families and more money circulating in local economies, which in turn will help other businesses grow.
Furthermore, because women tend to devote more of their money to the health, education, and nutrition of their children, a rise in their incomes pays off over generations. In the report provided to you today, you will find several examples of the progress that can be achieved by supporting women farmers. In Ghana, for example, if women and men held equal land rights, and if they both had the ability to use land as collateral to make major investments like irrigation systems or draft animals, women farmers would double their profits from farming.
Multiple studies in places from Honduras to Nepal, from the Philippines to Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia, find that when women are involved in the design and field testing of new technologies, those technologies are actually adopted more rapidly, which increases productivity and incomes faster.
Nick Kristof, moderator and columnist for The New York Times:
MR. KRISTOF: ...And it truly is sort of extraordinary for a Secretary of State to be hosting an event focusing not only on agriculture and food, but on a gender focus to improve that. This is really something very new it seems to me. And so, Secretary Clinton, maybe let me start with you, and you’ve made the economic case for investing in women to improve agriculture.
You also just gave an important speech a couple days ago for APEC on the same thing, but there’s still this gulf between this research, the evidence that you cited, the economic case, and the actual investments that happen and what actually happens on farms around the world.
So – and also I think that there’s – everybody in the room probably frankly agrees with you, but there are an awful lot of skeptics out there who think this is just kind of the latest politically correct fad. So how do we go from bridging that evidence, that economic case into actually having an impact on the ground?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Nick, I think that’s the stage we’re at, and I’m very pleased we are at that stage because up until now, many of us have been making the case. We’ve made it on moral grounds, on cultural grounds, on social and political grounds, and we’ve seen progress, but I think making the case on economic grounds is what finally begins to open minds and change policies.
It is clear to us who are in this room – this is like preaching to the choir because I look out and I see so many leaders from around the world who have been working on agricultural and food issues, on gender issues, on poverty issues – it’s clear to us that the case now can be made. We didn’t even collect data for decades. We had no way of knowing what additional inputs provided to women farmers in Tanzania or Brazil or Bangladesh or anywhere else would actually mean. And therefore, it was a harder case for us to make.
But since we’ve been gathering such data – and I thank FAO and other organizations that have been leaders in doing this – we can now put this movie together and talk about what happens when you have a leader like President Kikwete, who focuses on agriculture, creates corridors for agricultural productivity, and further focuses on making women more productive. It works. So you’ll hear from the champion architect of the Zero Hunger Program in Brazil. It works. So now when we go to heads of state or parliaments or international bodies and we make the case, it’s no longer that we’re making a case rooted in our sense of equality and justice and morality; we’re making an economic case that it’s going to raise incomes, it’s going to increase productivity, and given the economy in the world and given the severe challenges our food systems face, this is now an argument that can no longer be ignored.
Kathy Spahn, president and CEO, Helen Keller International:
MS. SPAHN: ...And yes, we do need to take a broader view. Calories are important. They provide energy, but that’s not enough. We need to ensure that foods are nutritious, and there’s a difference between food and nutrition. You need to have food that has vitamins and minerals in it, what we call micronutrients. A lot of staple crops that we’re talking about growing in larger quantities – maize, rice, cassava – they provide energy in their calories, but they are lacking in the micronutrients that are essential to meet the nutritional needs of very young children, and also to meet the nutritional needs of women of reproductive age.
Micronutrients like vitamin A, iron, zinc – they’re essential for physical and cognitive development. They’re essential for the immune system to function properly. So children who grow up deficient in those micronutrients can have really negative consequences in terms of their survival, in terms of health, in terms of growth, in terms of productivity.
Take vitamin A, which is at the core of our work, and it’s found in dark green, leafy vegetables; in orange fruits, the really good ones like mangoes and papayas; in egg yolks; in liver, vitamin A is essential to prevent blindness in young children, but it is also essential for child livelihood and child survival because vitamin A is necessary for immune system function. So a child who gets calories that don’t have vitamin A in it is not going to be able to fight off common illnesses, whether they get a respiratory illness, they have diarrhea, a child who’s vitamin A deficient may die because their immune system can’t fight that off. And in deference to the Secretary’s remark about the need for research and an evidence base, there is a solid evidence base about this.
MR. KRISTOF: Thank you. If Kathy had her way, you would all come up and go away with a little pack of micronutrients or orange-flesh sweet potatoes or something as you left. (Laughter.)
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Conversations: Victor Serna y Maria Mendoza - Asociación ADERS Perú
From September 9 to 18 the Iniciativa Papas Andinas - along with many local partners - participated at the 2011 Mistura Gastronomic Fair in Lima where farmers from all over Peru came to showcase their produce.
Below is the audio (in Spanish) of the interview with Mr. Victor Serna is a Farmer Field School Facilitator for the ADERS Peru Association (http://www.aders-peru.org/).
This association works together with 7 potato producers' communities in Cajamarca. Victor tells us about ADERS interest on participating in the Mistura Fair together with some of the potato producers: to present them the different aspects of the commercialization chain of the native potatoes that they produce. He also talks about the way in which the native potatoes are cultivated in these comunities.
Additionally, Mrs. Maria Hilda Mendoza Mendoza, gave us some minutes and told us about the effects of the potato seed changes (from regular potatoes to native potatoes) over her community and family.
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Conversation: Marcelo Tiza - Asociación Agropecuaria Santa Inés - Zona Altina Quilcas, Huancayo, Peru
From September 9 to 18 the Iniciativa Papas Andinas - along with many local partners - participated at the 2011 Mistura Gastronomic Fair in Lima where farmers from all over Peru came to showcase their produce.
Below is the audio (in Spanish) of the interview with Mr. Marcelo Tiza Rodriguez from the Asociación Agropecuaria Santa Inés - Zona Altina Quilcas. His community works together with the Yanapai group and the International Potato Center.
He tells us about their second visit to the Mistura Fair and their work on the promotion of the native potatoes that they grow under the Miski Papa brand.
He also talks about the incentives and benefits that they have received from cultivating native potatoes and the decisions they had to make to establish their brand as a known product within the native potatoes market.
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Video of CIP's Breeding Program's Crossing Techniques
CIP biologist Benny Ordoñez discusses a new training video on potato crossing techniques:
"The International Potato Center (CIP) has made significant contributions through its potato breeding program. Samples of improved populations are distributed in the form of health-tested botanical seed or in vitro plants to national programs and other institutions around the world where they are either used directly in variety selection, or crossed with local varieties or breeding stocks for further enhancement.
While practiced in many ways by many programs, potato crossing techniques have not been sufficiently described or documented. To address this, CIP researchers are sharing the specialized experience that they have accumulated over a long time.
The main objective of the video is to describe in detail the steps ranging from Phytosanitary measures, Greenhouse management, Evaluation of pollen viability, Controlled cross-pollinization, through Harvest and processing the tomato-like fruits (called berries in the case of potato) to produce, document and conserve hybrid seed. The video is 25 minutes.
We are confident that this publication will contribute significantly to capacity building in Latin American countries and beyond (an English translation is coming soon). Suggestions for improvement are welcome and will be incorporated into newer versions."
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“Challenges to sustainable potato production in a changing climate: A research perspective”
“Challenges to sustainable potato production in a changing climate: A research perspective” is a presentation prepared by the International Potato Center (CIP).
It is about climate change and its long-term implications on the potato. For instance, warmer temperatures with some humidity in higher grounds will increase the presence of potato late blight – one of the most destructive and prevalent potato diseases.
The challenge is to find ways to foster potato agriculture that sustainably increases productivity, resilience (adaptation), reduces/removes greenhouse gases (mitigation), and enhances achievement of national food security and development goals – or “climate-smart agriculture.”
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Conversation with CAPAC PERU (Audio)
From September 9 to 18 the Iniciativa Papas Andinas - along with many local partners - participated at the 2011 Mistura Gastronomic Fair in Lima where farmers from all over Peru came to showcase their produce.
Below is the audio (in Spanish) of an extract of the interview with Antonio Palomino, coordinator of CAPAC PERU (www.capacperu.com). CAPAC PERU displayed a variety of native potatoes.
Mr. Palomino describes the importance of stimulating the native potato market chain and bringing the farmers to see their colorful tubers reach the shelves of supermarket chains like Vivanda.
"It's important to come to fairs like Mistura so the farmers can see that their native potatoes are well-known in Lima and sell at a good market price - that motivates them to keep planting [native potatoes]."
There are more than 4,000 varieties in Peru that come in many sizes, shapes and colors. Maintaining a large variety of native potatoes in the fields is important to ensure the genetic resources that underpin our food supply. Genetic diversity is the way in which crops adapt to changing environments; a natural weapon offering them the flexibility to deal with unforeseen events such as climate change, and giving them greater chances to resist pests and diseases.
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USAID/Mozambique Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato Day
On July 28, 2011 USAID/Mozambique celebrated Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato Day. They event was also a hommage to Irene de Souza who retired as a USAID officer and was a big supporter of orange-fleshed sweetpotato. Samples of newly released CIP-OFSP varieties were planted in the USAID garden. Guests arrived wearing orange. Here are photos from their news bulletin:
