Repatriation/Reintroduction
The return of traditional cultivars to the farmer’s communities whose ancestors developed and conserved these landraces for millennium and which are still located in the micro-centers of potato diversity, is termed repatriation. This activity has a very important impact for CIP’s germplasm use including:
- The restoration of diversity and variability of cultivated potatoes in the Andean biodiversity micro-centers;
- The restoration of local productivity by replacing seed stocks with pathogen-free accessions contributing to increased food security, productivity and poverty alleviation;
- Mitigating the challenges and impacts of climate change by the introduction of traditional cultivars tolerant/resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses.
Over a period of 27 years, from 1997 to 2023, the International Potato Center (CIP) has repatriated a total of 15,752 potato samples. These repatriations involve the return of 1,591 potato native landrace accessions to 147 Andean communities in Peru.
Contact
Julian Soto
Potato Curator
j.v.soto@cgiar.org
