RSS Feeds and Podcasts
25 March 2008
TBD
FAO Conference in Peru Looks to Expand Cultivation of Potatoes
25/03/2008
A four-day conference in Cusco, Peru co-sponsored by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) aims to tap the potential of the potato to play an even stronger role in agriculture, especially in the world's poorest countries.
With the prices of most cereals going up worldwide, the potato has the advantage of producing more food on less land than other staples like maize, wheat or rice. FAO's Representative for Latin America, Jose Graciano da Silva, says the Cusco conference is the first of several of its kind taking place in different regions this year, which has been declared the International Year of the Potato:
"The idea is to try to expand the role that the potato can play in the food security for all the regions. The potato is a very good substitute of rice and also of other staple foods."
Mr. Graciano Da Silva points out that there are more than 4,000 varieties of potatoes. Grown in more than 100 countries, the potato is already an integral part of the global food system, according to FAO. With a record 320 million tons produced in 2007, it is the world's number one non-grain food commodity. But extending the benefits of potato production, FAO says, depends on improvements in the quality of planting material, farming systems that make more sustainable use of natural resources, and potato varieties that have reduced water needs, greater resistance to pests and diseases, and resilience in the face of climate change.
Reporting for UN Radio, I'm Bissera Kostova.
With the prices of most cereals going up worldwide, the potato has the advantage of producing more food on less land than other staples like maize, wheat or rice. FAO's Representative for Latin America, Jose Graciano da Silva, says the Cusco conference is the first of several of its kind taking place in different regions this year, which has been declared the International Year of the Potato:
"The idea is to try to expand the role that the potato can play in the food security for all the regions. The potato is a very good substitute of rice and also of other staple foods."
Mr. Graciano Da Silva points out that there are more than 4,000 varieties of potatoes. Grown in more than 100 countries, the potato is already an integral part of the global food system, according to FAO. With a record 320 million tons produced in 2007, it is the world's number one non-grain food commodity. But extending the benefits of potato production, FAO says, depends on improvements in the quality of planting material, farming systems that make more sustainable use of natural resources, and potato varieties that have reduced water needs, greater resistance to pests and diseases, and resilience in the face of climate change.
Reporting for UN Radio, I'm Bissera Kostova.
Other News
25/03/2008