André Devaux

Glycoalkaloids in potato tubers : the effect of variety and drought stress on the α-solanine and α-chaconine contents of potatoes

Six varieties of Solanum tuberosum L potato grown in the Bolivian highlands under drought stress, with and without irrigation, were analysed for their content of glycoalkaloids (GAs). The plant material consisted of three drought-tolerant varieties from a local breeding progranune (PROINPA), Potosina, Chapaquita and Pampena, and three control cultivated varieties, Malcacho, Sani Imilla and Desiree, either susceptible or relatively tolerant to drought, alpha -Solanine and alpha -chaconine were quantified in both the peel and flesh of the tubers. A significant increase in GA concentration (alpha -solanine+alpha -chaconine) was observed under drought stress conditions in most varieties; average concentration increases of 43 and 50% were registered in the improved and control cultivars respectively. In all tested cultivars, however, the GA concentration remained lower than the recommended food safety level (200 mg kg(-1) fresh tubers). It ranged from 52.4 to 100 mg kg(-1) fresh tubers in the improved cultivars and from 55.6 to 122.3 mg kg(-1) fresh tubers in the controls. In the improved and control varieties the cu-solanine content averaged 42.6 and 35.4% of the total potato GAs respectively and was not significantly affected by drought stress, except in Desiree. In all conditions the peel contained the greatest proportion of total GAs. The hybrid variety Pampeiia (new drought-tolerant variety) contained the lowest amounts of GAs, which were lower than those of the control varieties, with and without irrigation

Multi-stakeholder platforms for linking small farmers to value chains: evidence from the Andes

Value chains linked to urban markets and agro-industry present new opportunities for adding value and raising rural incomes. Small farmers, who produce small volumes, struggle to enter these markets. A lack of trust among value chain actors increases transaction costs and short-circuits innovation. This paper explores how multi-stakeholder platforms have been used to address these problems in potato-based value chains in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. It uses the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework to understand how platforms work. Differences in characteristics of the value chains, the participating actors and institutional arrangements have led to the emergence of two types of platforms. The first type brings traders, processors, supermarkets and others together with farmer associations and research and development (R&D) organizations to foster the development of new market opportunities through commercial, institutional and technological innovation. The second type is structured around geographically delimited supply areas, meshing farmers and service providers to address market governance issues in assuring volumes, meeting quality and timeliness constraints and empowering farmers. Evidence from these cases indicates that platforms that bring stakeholders together around value chains can result in new products, processes, norms and behaviours that benefit poor farmers, which could not have been achieved otherwise.

Potatoes for Sustainable Global Food Security

Potato is the third most important food crop in terms of global consumption, and it has been highly recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a food security crop as the world faces a growing population and related problems with food supply. This paper presents data on global potato production, consumption, malnutrition, and hunger; information which helps pinpoint where the resource-poor and hungry live and how the potato and international agricultural research could help improve food security and livelihoods in developing countries. The International Potato Center has used such a targeting exercise to focus its research for development and develop its new strategic plan, in which five out of the six objectives are related to potato.

Underground assets: potato biodiversity to improve the livelihoods of the poor

Vulnerability and limited assets both constrain the options of poor people, especially smallholder farmers. But the poor often also possess a range of potentially valuable natural, physical, financial, human and social-capital assets. Development interventions requiring high levels of assets that poor people do not have are unlikely to reduce poverty, but those which build on what they do have can build assets and so improve their options. Producing and processing potatoes are important livelihood strategies for millions of the poor. A careful understanding of the context and strategies of the poor can help indicate how potatoes can also be used to reduce poverty. This paper employs the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework to examine these issues, using the Papa Andina case in the Andes as an example of new approaches to use potato diversity to improve livelihoods in a transforming development context. The Papa Andina regional initiative, together with its national partners, helps Andean farmers build new livelihood strategies using the genetic diversity of potatoes, local knowledge and social capital—assets that are often undervalued. But this does not occur in a vacuum; a range of policies and institutions are required, including, for example, collective action among farmers and interaction with outsiders such as market agents and agricultural service providers in order to foster market chain innovation and to access and build market opportunities. Accurate understanding of the changing context of producers, processors and consumers can help ensure that potatoes play a role in improving the welfare of the poor.

Horizontal Evaluation Fostering Knowledge Sharing and Program Improvement Within a Network

Horizontal evaluation combines self-assessment and external evaluation by peers. Papa Andina, a regional network that works to reduce rural poverty in the Andean region by fostering innovation in potato production and marketing, has used horizontal evaluations to improve the work of local project teams and to share knowledge within the network. In a horizontal evaluation workshop, a project team and peers from other organizations independently assess the strengths and weaknesses of a research and development (R&D) approach being developed and then compare the assessments. Project team members formulate recommendations for improving the R&D approach, and peers consider ways to apply it back home. Practical results of horizontal evaluation have included strengthening the R&D approaches being developed, experimenting with their use at new sites, improvements in other areas of work, and strengthened interpersonal relations among network members.

Unspoken demands for farm technology

For three years in Bolivia (2002–2005) the INNOVA Project finished researching several technologies for sustainable agriculture, started by earlier DFID-funded projects. Before INNOVA started critics suggested that these technologies should be discarded in favour of a demand survey. Instead, INNOVA kept the existing technologies, but judged the demand for them with several methods (CIAL, sondeo technology fair, and others). INNOVA found that there was demand for some of the technologies, but that a survey would have missed much of the demand, which is implicit. That is, people are not initially aware of all their problems or of all the possible solutions. Over the years, farmers made more specific, sophisticated demands on the technologies, which evolved as a result. Demand and supply of farm technology are like two sides of an unfolding conversation.

Changing paradigms for organising R&D: agricultural research and the creation of the PROINPA Foundation in Bolivia

A new paradigm for agricultural research based upon the innovation system is emerging. New types of organisation are required to fit the new paradigm. The evolution of PROINPA from NARI programme to foundation is analysed as a case study in organisational innovation in Bolivia, where a comprehensive competitive funding system is being established. The value added and difficulties faced by the PROINPA Foundation are described. The Foundation, as a new type of organisation, widened and deepened linkages with other key actors, added value to the research and development process and appears to fit well with the innovation system approach. The article ends by sharing lessons learned for developing foundations under similar conditions.

Knowledge management for pro-poor innovation: the Papa Andina case

Papa Andina began as a regional research program focusing on the Andean potato sectors of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, but later shifted its focus to facilitating pro-poor innovation. To accomplish this shift, a number of approaches were developed to foster innovation, by facilitating mutual learning and collective action among individuals and groups with differing, often conflicting, interests. This paper explains why and how Papa Andina shifted its focus from conducting research to facilitating innovation, and describes two approaches that Papa Andina developed to facilitate mutual learning and innovation: the ‘participatory market chain approach’ and ‘horizontal evaluation’. Differing local circumstances and beliefs shaped the work of local teams, and rivalry among the teams stimulated creativity and innovation. Participatory evaluations helped individuals recognize and appreciate differences and build shared knowledge across the teams. After describing the case, the paper discusses the implications for knowledge management and innovation theory, and for the potential use of Papa Andinas approaches in other settings.

Can Andean potatoes be agronomically biofortified with iron and zinc fertilizers

AimsThe aim of this study was to investigate the proof-of-concept that Andean potato (Solanum tuberosum L., Andigenum Group) can be agronomically biofortified with iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) fertilizers.MethodsGreenhouse and field experiments were conducted in the Ecuadorian Andes with varying rates of foliar and soil applied Fe and Zn fertilizers to investigate the potential resulting increase in tuber Fe and tuber Zn concentrations.ResultsThe study showed that simple fertilizer practices enhancing Zn supply to potato plants can increase tuber Zn concentrations. The rate of increase of tuber Zn following Zn fertilization was similar across cultivars. A concomitant negative effect of high rates of Zn applications on yield was not seen, and a maximum Zn application level for increasing tuber Zn concentration was not identified. A positive tuber yield effect was seen at one field site. High rates of foliar Zn application reached a 2.51-fold tuber Zn increase, and high rates of soil Zn application a 1.91-fold tuber Zn increase. The experiments showed no positive correlation between Fe fertilization and Fe concentration in tubers. Moreover, the study showed a strong effect of site on the concentration of Fe and Zn in tubers, and the tuber mineral concentrations across sites and treatments were negatively correlated with tuber yield.ConclusionsThe results confirmed the proof of concept that Andean potato cultivars can be agronomically Zn-biofortified with foliar and soil applied Zn fertilizers. Tuber Fe concentrations of Andean potatoes were not increased with Fe fertilization.

Innovation for inclusive value-chain development: Successes and challenges

Analyses of work in the Andes (Chapter 8; Cavatassi et al. 2011) indicate that platforms that bring stakeholders together around value chains can result in new products, processes, norms, and behaviors that benefit poor farmers in ways that would not have been achieved otherwise.Governments, nongovernmental organizations, donors, and the private sector have increasingly embraced value-chain development (VCD) for stimulating economic growth and combating rural poverty. Innovation for Inclusive Value-Chain Development: Successes and Challenges helps to fill the current gap in systematic knowledge about how well VCD has performed, related trade-offs or undesired effects, and which combinations of VCD elements are most likely to reduce poverty and deliver on overall development goals. This book uses case studies to examine a range of VCD experiences. Approaching the subject from various angles, it looks at new linkages to markets and the role of farmer organizations and contract farming in raising productivity and access to markets, the minimum assets requirement to participate in VCD, the role of multi-stakeholder platforms in VCD, and how to measure and identify successful VCD interventions. The book also explores the challenges livestock-dependent people face; how urbanization and advancing technologies affect linkages; ways to increase gender inclusion and economic growth; and the different roles various types of platforms play in VCD.