ANDEAN NATIVE POTATOES. (Solanum tuberosum subsp. andigena) enabling deployment of underutilized species. Global Facilitation Unit

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1 Global Facilitation Unit for Underutilized Species ANDEAN NATIVE POTATOES (Solanum tuberosum subsp. andigena) enabling deployment of underutilized species

2 Nearly 4,000 different varieties of potato can be found in the Andes and scientists, economists, and historians are racing to record and preserve the genetic diversity to ensure it does not disappear as suddenly as did the Inca Empire. It is believed that wild tubers were first domesticated around 8,000 years ago by farmers who lived on the high plains and mountain slopes near Lake Titicaca, which borders modern day Bolivia and Peru. The tubers grew well in the cold, harsh climate and quickly took root as a centerpiece around which life revolved. Potatoes can be fat, skinny, lumpy or smooth; long, short, round, or square; red, yellow, white or green. There is also a wide range among the different varieties in terms of how they re grown, their nutritional values, amenability to storage and use properties. Diversity is conserved on farms and in communities for subsistence use and as a highly valued heritage. Most of these varieties never see a market, but are traded amongst highland and lowland communities and given as gifts for weddings and other occasions. The varieties, which come from eight species of Andean potato, differ from community to community.

3 PAPA AMARILLA PROPERTIES Andean native potatoes have the capacity to grow in extremely harsh conditions. The many different varieties are also interesting from a nutritional perspective: yellow varieties contain high levels of vitamin C whereas red or purple potatoes hold high levels of antioxidants that have a protective function in the human body. GROWING Farmers in the high Andes of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru traditionally grow hundreds of different varieties of potatoes. Selected over centuries for their taste, texture, shape and colour, these potato varieties are very well adapted to the harsh conditions that prevail in the high Andes, at altitudes ranging from 3500 to 4200 meters. Farmers generally produce these native varieties with minimal or no use of agrochemicals. The yellow potato, papa amarilla, is a species of Andean potato particularly valued over the white potato for its floury texture and rich flavour. The papa amarilla is among the very few native potatoes always available in Peru s rural and urban markets.

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5 What is CHUÑO and where does it come from? CHUÑO Chuño is a freeze-dried potato product traditionally made by the Quechua and Aymara communities of Peru and Bolivia, and is known in various countries of South America, including Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile. PROPERTIES The particular processing of chuño causes the cell walls of the potato to burst, destroying the epidermis of the tuber, resulting in a food product high in carbohydrates, and low in protein, vitamins, minerals, and glyco-alkaloid which is a substance that causes a bitterness in potatoes. Once dried, and with minimal care in storage, the product can last for a long time, even years. > Food Preparation Consumption is varied, from desserts to prepared dishes like stews, as well as chuño flour, which is an essential ingredient in many dishes of Peruvian cuisine. Chairo is one of the most traditional Bolivian soups and it s made with chuño, meat and lots of vegetables. Among its varied uses in traditional cuisine, an accompaniment to Christmas celebration dishes called Picana. This course, known as Tunta, is a particular preparation of Chuno cut in the middle and steamed with a piece of white cheese inserted. PROCESSING After harvest, potatoes are selected for the production of chuño, typically small ones for ease of processing. These small potatoes are spread closely on flat ground, and allowed to freeze with low night temperatures for approximately three nights. Between the freezing nights, they are exposed to the sun, and they are trampled by foot. This eliminates what little water is still retained by the potatoes and removes the skins, enabling subsequent freezing. Starting from this basic freeze-dry process, two varieties are obtained: the white chuño which results from the washing and sun-drying of the frozen potatoes, and the black chuño which is simply sun-dried.

6 What are Jalca Chips? JALCA CHIPS project Jalca Chips are a snack made from Andean native potatoes. The potatoes used to produce this snack are a selection from more than 3,800 ancient varieties domesticated by pre-inca societies. The Jalca Chips PROJECT Despite the nutritional benefit of these varieties and their resistance to drought and frost, as well as pests and diseases like potato blight, the production has decreased in the last decades. Farmers are increasingly shifting towards conventional yellow potato varieties that are known by the consumers and that can more easily be sold on the market. So, knowing that there is an increased interest in exotic, tasty and natural products, scientists of the International Potato Center (CIP) began experimenting by making potato chips out of native potatoes. They discovered that many of these varieties were delicious and, because of their high dry matter content, absorbed much less oil than typical potato chips during frying. Thirty varieties were selected for their good frying qualities and attractive shapes and colours, and nutritional value. CIP is currently engaged in a Jalca Chips marketing strategy that benefits both farmers and consumers as well as helping to conserve biodiversity. Today there is much hope that the product will enhance the interest in native potatoes in general and provoke new marketing opportunities that will allow small-scale farmers to benefit from future expansion of native potato production.

7 Contribution to social development and environmental sustainability A recent project called the Papa Andina project aims to add value to local knowledge and biodiversity of Andean potatoes. Papa Andina s overriding mission is to improve the livelihoods of subsistence and small-scale producers by helping them to respond to the changing political and social contexts in which they operate. It is a learning project developing national capacities through collaborative learning with partners, progressively incorporating new ideas, adapting them to local circumstances and finding new ways to achieve goals. Papa Andina, which is governed by a coordinating committee that includes representatives from the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, the projects main funder, CIP and the ministries of agriculture of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, brings together a heterogeneous group of partners, including agricultural and development institutions, private sector stakeholders, farmers and numerous other players in the potato market chain. The exhibits on show are just few of many commercial products made from Papa Andean Native Potatoes:: Tunta white chuño / black chuño Chuño flour Papa amarilla instant mash Jalca chips native potato snack SOME PRODUCERS / RETAILERS / DISTRIBUTORS > Consorcio Tunta - consorciotunta@hotmail.com > Olla De Barro - mapalisac@hotmail.com Photographs by: Michael Hermann, Juan Torres, Paul Bordoni and International Potato Center (CIP)

8 Global Facilitation Unit for Underutilized Species For further information, contact: GFU for Underutilized Species Via dei Tre Denari, 472/a Maccarese, Rome, Italy Tel: /302 w e b s i t e : w w w. u n d e r u t i l i z e d - s p e c i e s. o r g