Potato
The potato is one of humanity’s most important and universally loved staple foods.
Photo:© FAO/Alessandra Benedetti

One crop, much potential

A millennia-old food with origins in the South American Andes region that made its way to Europe in the 16th century then spread around the world, the potato is much more than a source of nourishment.

Potatoes are an important component of strategies to provide accessible and nutritious food and improved livelihoods in rural and other areas where natural resources, especially arable land and water are limited and inputs expensive. The crop's versatility and ability to grow in a variety of conditions make it an advantageous crop choice.

Potatoes are also a climate-friendly crop, as they produce low levels of greenhouse gas emissions in comparison to other crops.

In the past decade, the global production of potatoes has increased by 10 percent, leading to growth in employment and income, but more work still needs to be done to harness the full potential of the crop in the quest to end hunger and malnutrition globally.

In addition, there is a wide spectrum of diversity among potatoes, with over 5,000 improved varieties and farmers’ varieties/landraces, many of which are unique to their original location in Latin America. The 150 wild relatives of the cultivated potato show a wide genetic variation with a range of traits, including the ability to adapt to different production environments, resistance to pests and diseases, and different tuber characteristics. They are a repository of the heritable traits for the continued genetic improvement of the crop to respond to ever changing environmental conditions, new biotypes of pests and diseases and consumers’ preferences.

Illustration

Harvesting diversity, feeding hope

In 2024, we celebrate the first International Day of Potato by focusing on the contribution of the potato to the lives of producers and consumers with the theme: Harvesting diversity, feeding hope. #InternationalDayOfPotato

Download

Background

The potato represents one of the most important contributions of the Andean region to the entire world, as it is one of the five main food crops consumed in the world, contributing to food security.

Small-scale and family farming production of the potato, particularly by rural farmers, including women farmers, supports efforts to reduce hunger, malnutrition and poverty, and achieve food security, and relies on and contributes greatly to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

In December 2023, the General Assembly decided to designate 30 May as the International Day of Potato to raise awareness of the multiple nutritional, economic, environmental and cultural values of the potato and its contribution as an invaluable food resource and as a generator of income for rural families and producers, with a view to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieving its Sustainable Development Goals.

Did you know?

  • About 2/3 of the world's population consumes potatoes as its staple food; nearly 50% of potatoes are used as the household staple food or vegetable.
  • The potato is resistant to drought, cold, and barren land with wide adaptability.
  • By 2030, the total production of potatoes will reach 750 million tons, with an increase of 112%, of which the production of Asia, Africa and Latin America will exceed 440 million tons, with an increase of 100%, accounting for about 59% of the world.
Source: FAO

Resources

UN observances related to food and agriculture

Food Day Poster 2023

FAO has developed a common vision and an integrated approach to sustainability across agriculture, forestry and fisheries. This unified perspective – valid across all agricultural sectors and taking into account social, economic and environmental considerations – ensures the effectiveness of action on the ground and is underpinned by knowledge based on the best available science, and adaptation at community and country levels to ensure local relevance and applicability.

 

Women from the Songhai and Bella ethnic groups share a moment of relaxation, drinking tea in Gao, Mali

Food is at the core of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN's development agenda for the 21st century. The second of the UN's 17 SDGs is to "End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture." Achieving this goal by the target date of 2030 will require a profound change of the global food and agriculture system.

 

an abstract illustration of people engaged in an event

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances.