PW-ACTUA Chef Jeff Henderson inspires growers and traders alike. in Vegas introduced its own state-of-the-art food truck with a value of 162,500 dollars. ‘This is the same amount as was spent on a year-long advertising sign along a busy road in our home town of Dallas’, USPB Director Richardson explained. The launch of the food truck fits the organisation’s strategy to increase the consumption of potatoes via new channels, new applications or new products. Under the name of Spud Nation, the organisation wants to develop into a real commercial company. ‘The food trucks are a platform for innovation, allowing us to market the potato in a completely different way. This way of self-funding food promotion has never been seen before in the USA. We’ll start in two totally different demographic areas: Denver and Washington. In these cities, the food trucks will operate in an area of about 80 square kilometres. The chefs have direct contact with the consumer. They not only sell the product, they’re also direct potato ambassadors who can explain in person why the potato is so healthy’, Richardson describes his vision. ‘If the sales in the two trucks are doing well, we’ll use the profit to invest in more trucks, allowing us to grow towards five hundred trucks that will operate in a large number of American States’, the USPB Director explains his grand plans. ● Public-private partnership for new varieties for smallholder farmers in South Asia The International Potato Center (CIP), global seed potato company HZPC and the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA) have announced a new partnership. Their joint aim is to develop better potatoes for tropical and subtropical conditions. CIP and HZPC will combine their experience and resources to breed and select potato varieties suitable for local markets in South Asia. SFSA will provide support. This public-private partnership demonstrates the organizations’ joint aim of raising the quality and quantity of food production for a growing world population. Under the agreement, CIP and HZPC will focus on research and development. HZPC will also apply its strength in the commercialization of potato varieties and seed potatoes; CIP will contribute its know-how in the development of varieties for sustainable production in the tropics. Both HZPC and CIP are contributing potato germplasm to the endeavor. Their scientists will aim to find the best combination of traits from HZPC potatoes for temperate regions and CIP’s varieties adapted for tropical lowlands and smallholder farmers. Improved, market-preferred varieties will enable smallholders to raise their yields and income. The breeding program is intended to run for five years. Royalties to the Plant Treaty As well as helping improve farmers’ livelihoods, the partnership is also breaking new ground in connection with the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Plant Treaty). It is the first such agreement in which partners have committed to contributing a percentage of the income from royalties to the Treaty’s benefitsharing fund. “It’s a privilege to combine forces with HZPC in benefiting smallholder farmers in the developing world”, said Barbara Wells, CIP Director General. The Plant Treaty is an international agreement with 139 signatory countries. Its aim is to guarantee food security through the conservation, exchange and sustainable use of the world’s plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. CIP maintains and distributes its germplasm all over the world in accordance with this treaty. “We are excited to be a part of this effort to deliver improved tropical potato varieties that fulfil a need in all sectors and are resilient to biotic and abiotic stresses”, said Mike Robinson, Chief Scientist for the SFSA. ● Potato World 2016 • number 2 9 Pagina 8
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