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SPUDSMART.COM INTERNATIONAL EDITION 201510 THE ANDEAN region of Latin America has long been regarded as one of the most fertile and productive areas in the world when it comes to potato cultivation. The area is home to more than 4000 varieties of native potatoes some of which have existed since the time of the Incas. However there is growing concern that this tuber biodiversity could be at risk as a result of several factors including the growth of urban centres climate change and farmers leaving the industry for more lucrative pursuits. Protecting Potatos Heritage Climate change and disease could put tuber biodiversity at risk in Latin America the birthplace of the potato. The International Potato Center in Peru is taking steps to try to ensure that doesnt happen and its research teams are also busy in Asia and other parts of world to enhance potato production and provide more choices for farmers. BY JIM TIMLICK It was this concern about the potatos future in the region that prompted the International Potato Center CIP to prioritize biodiversity conservation and use right from the beginning of its existence in the 1970s. In the last decade CIP has undertaken a project known as Potato Biodiversity Conservation and Use for Markets in Latin America. The aim of the project is three-fold to protect potato biodiversity through genetic research to promote new uses for native varieties and increase demand for them and produce new streams of revenue for growers. Oscar Ortiz deputy director general for research and development for the Lima Peru-based CIP says there is a very real possibility some of these varieties could disappear if something isnt done to protect them both in the field and in the marketplace. Absolutely its very real Ortiz says. With the concentration of climate change and the effects in the Andes its increasing the vulnerability of these native varieties because temperatures are increasing in the Andes which will mean that a number of diseases and insects that were not present in the past now will be. Women sowing potatoes in Chimborazo Ecuador.