Quito, 22 September, 2021 - The country results of the regional project "Potato, Family and Climate" in Ecuador, funded by the European Union through the Euroclima+ Programme

in the Resilient Food Production Sector, implemented by GIZ and Expertise France and executed by the International Potato Centre (CIP) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), were presented.

José Medina, Head of Cooperation of the European Union, opened the event and highlighted the great biodiversity of the country, its invaluable natural wealth and the relevance of the Potato, Family and Climate project for his institution "it is important that the agriculture of the future is climate conscious and this project fits perfectly in that direction”.

The project was implemented within the framework of three goals, with the objective of improving the adaptive capacity of farmers, public and private actors linked to potato-based Andean agri-food systems (SAAbP) in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, through the development, application, and dissemination of best practices of climate-smart agriculture (CSA), and the articulation to differentiated markets.

Yomira Paz, Director of Cooperation and International Relations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, highlighted the work for the benefit of producers, whose tireless work deserves a firm commitment to raise their living standards, and therefore "It is time to work jointly and comprehensively on the multiple needs of the agri-food chains that guarantee food security for the entire hemisphere based on quality of life, environmental conservation and technification of the countryside.”

With the first goal focused on the identification, adaptation, and dissemination of best practices in climate-smart agriculture (CSA) combined with local knowledge, the capacities of approximately 2,000 farmers in 13 communities in the provinces of Chimborazo and Tungurahua and more than 600 professionals in the agricultural sector were strengthened in Ecuador in 17 climate-smart practices. 

They were also trained on issues related to adaptation and mitigation of climate change in potato-based production systems, including the estimation of the carbon footprint of this crop, a pioneering initiative in this area in Ecuador and the region, led by IICA and its technicians and specialists.

Jhon Molina, Executive Director of INIAP, a strategic partner of the project in the territory, highlighted the importance of technology transfer as "an instrument that allows sharing technological innovations with farmers". The technicians of the transfer nucleus of this institution played a leading role in this goal.

Regarding goal 2 related to the development of commercial innovations, work was carried out with two producer organisations to develop their commercial brands (AGROPAPA and DELIPAPA), which will allow them to position their production in the market. 

In addition, the management group of each organisation was trained in a set of five simple calculation tools for the management of key business indicators for implementing their business plan and understanding the state of the business. 

Presentation of the results of the project in Ecuador

Rodolfo Campos, IICA representative in Ecuador, in his talk posed a new challenge to the authorities and organisations working in the country's agricultural sector "it is time to look beyond, towards projects that aim to generate circular economy policies where 100% of the products can be used, to turn agriculture into a profitable and resilient business". 

With regard to regional knowledge management under goal 3 on communication and capacity building for advocacy, the project made three training products available to public institutions, producer organisations, NGOs, private companies in the agricultural sector, academia and research institutes: the virtual training programme on methodologies for linking family farming to markets, the series of virtual seminars on best CSA practices, and the interactive catalogue on best CSA practices. 

Santiago Vélez, IICA Bolivia representative, remotely presented the AGRINAPSIS platform developed within the framework of the project, a "social network for agriculture" that seeks to disseminate best practices in climate-smart agriculture and the articulation to differentiated markets, sharing traditional and scientific knowledge, experiences, research and technological development, so that, among all users, the generation of answers to concerns within a community eager to learn is strengthened.

During the event, videos were presented that show the experience of some potato producers from Chimborazo and Tungurahua, which refer to the learning process on integrated pest management, the use of bio-inputs and technical support in the development of commercial innovations. 

Horacio Rodríguez, CIP representative in Ecuador, officially presented the publication " Potato, Family and Climate: Stories and recipes from Ecuador" at the end of the event, an innovative way of telling the results of the project around the most relevant factor worked on in the "Family" project. 

This document presents thirteen life stories about potato cultivation, and the cooking recipes of potato-growing families. The families who tell their stories in this publication are part of the more than 3,600 final beneficiaries of the project in Ecuador; many of them trained on the use of 17 climate-smart agriculture practices for potato cultivation, and others in the development and application of commercial innovations that brought the market closer to these producers. The publication is available at this link.

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Source of the photos: Potato, Family and Climate Project