Sustainable Potato Production - Guidelines for - FAO.org

Policy and institutional factorsNeglect of the potato subsectorWith a few notable exceptions – such asEthiopia – most developing countries havepolicies toward the potato subsector, andespecially small-scale producers, that can bebest characterized as “benign neglect”. Littleor no public investment is targeted atintegrated strategies for crop improvement,value addition and marketing schemes orthe potato production-processing-marketingchain. Many countries lack adequate seedproduction systems backed by certificationand seed laws. Breeding rights are often notrespected, reducing incentives to breeders tocreate new adapted and resistant varieties. Inmany areas, poor infrastructural facilitiesand poor access to markets are also majorchallenges to expansion of potato productionand its profitability.Inadequate capacity buildinginitiativesThe potato has attracted private sectorinvestment in the crucial area of seedmultiplication and seed systems in only afew countries. Support for programmes forthe diffusion of new varieties and for thescaling up of existing integrated disease andinsect pest management technologies andmethodologies is generally inadequate.Programmes to upgrade the skills of potatogrowers need to be matched by governmentefforts to create, monitor and enforceregulations on pesticide use and the spreadof pesticide or fertilizer residues into watersupplies, which are major constraints to thesustainability of potato production systems.Lack of support to farmerorganizationsand entrepreneursSupport for potato farmer groups andassociations and for local entrepreneurshipis lacking in many countries. In Bangladeshand Pakistan, powerful lobbies represent themost serious obstacle to the development ofa local seed potato industry. One notableexception is Argentina, where efforts arebeing made by public and private sector toimprove seed quality and promote varietydevelopment, and to transfer technology forintegrated crop management to its contractgrowers.17FACTORSCONSTRAININGTHE POTATOSUBSECTOR