Texas A&M University/Universidad Nacional Agraria “La Molina”
Country:
Peru
Award Date:
2002
Award Amount:
$100,000.00
Cost Share:
$301,270.00
Other Partners:
International Potato Center; various nongovernmental organizations in the rural communities of La Libertad, Aymara, and Mariscal Castilla
This partnership is working to improve the income of small-scale producers in the Central Peruvian highlands through the production, processing, and marketing of Andean root and tuber crops (ARTC). To conserve natural resources and biodiversity, the partners expect to introduce appropriate and sustainable practices for the production of ARTCs in the rural communities of La Libertad, Aymara, and Mariscal Castilla. The partners have screened selected ARTC varieties for phytochemical content in collaboration with the International Potato Center; initiated marketing studies on the viability of the selected crops at the local, national, regional, and international levels; and established a research and extension team at the Universidad Nacional Agraria-La Molina, composed of undergraduates, many of whom come from underserved populations. Preliminary results indicate that, thanks to their health benefits, ARTCs hold high potential for entry into the world market.