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11INTERNATIONAL EDITION 2015 SPUDSMART.COM Work on the project began about five years ago and most of the research has been centred in Bolivia Ecuador and Peru. Those three countries were chosen for study because they have the highest concentration of potato fields in the Andes as well as some of the highest levels of poverty in the region. IDENTIFYING NEW USES Andre Devaux CIPs regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean says finding new uses for some of these centuries-old varieties is a key part of the projects mandate. Developing new products will increase demand for these varieties increase profits for small-scale farmers and ensure these varieties dont disappear from fields. CIP partnered with several public agencies and non-governmental organizations to determine why consumption of many of these native varieties has declined and identify what types of new products might be of interest to consumers and businesses. Devaux says one of the first ideas to emerge from this participatory market chain approach was to use native varieties in potato chips and other snack products. The first products to be developed were small bags of potato chips featuring blue red yellow and purple chips. They were initially sold only in duty-free shops at Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima and were an instant hit with travellers looking to take home a souvenir. It wasnt long before several other smaller companies began manufacturing them which caught the attention of several bigger companies As part of the projects efforts to increase markets for native varieties CIP and its partner agencies worked to convince restaurants to offer some of these high-quality spuds on their menus. It worked. Currently in most Peruvian restaurants here in Lima youll find native potatoes now that are kind of an exotic product that have helped to connect consumers with these varieties says Ortiz. Ortiz attributes the increased popularity of native potatoes in part to the public education efforts of CIP and its partners to increase public awareness. Many varieties had simply become forgotten as more and more people had moved from rural communities to large urban centres where many of those varieties were not readily available. A potato stall at an Ecuadorian market. Girl at a potato storehouse in Guaranda Ecuador. The only real downside to this increased demand is the challenge of ensuring there is sufficient supply for processors. CIP is already looking at ways of addressing any bottlenecks in production including ways of producing more seed for the more popular varieties according to Ortiz. The challenge of course is to replicate it sufficiently in different parts of Peru Bolivia and Ecuador so that we can have an impact in terms of farmers conserving those varieties and planting those varieties and making profits off those varieties so that this can be sustainable over time he says. PHOTOS JEAN-LOUIS GONTERRE IN ASSOCIATION WITH INTERNATIONAL POTATO CENTER. OSCAR ORTIZ 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.