Transferring the Potato Park’s potato collection to the Svalbard International Seed Vault (collaborative innovation). The transfer to the International Seed Vault in Norway, near the North Pole will protect the varieties in the event of a global crisis. While this is seen as a largely symbolic action, the transfer serves also to strengthen the Potato Park’s membership of the FAO Treaty multilateral system, raise international awareness of the growing concerns of Peru’s potato farmers and promote a balanced relationship between in situ and ex situ conservation strategies. ANDES and CIP have supported the application and the production of botanical seeds by the farmers (as opposed to seed potatoes).
Coudn’t have put it better myself. So I’m glad IIED did, together with lots more on other biocultural innovations coming out of the Parque de la Papa.
