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.
Source: United Nations