POTATO GOLDMINE
T'ikapapa - PERU

T'ikapapa, based in Peru, beat nearly 1000 other projects from around the world to win World Challenge 2007.

The farmers of Peru's high Andes are among the poorest in the country, with an average income of under US$1 per day. However, these farmers are sitting on a potential goldmine, as the region is home to three thousand varieties of potato. These native strains bear little resemblance to the regular potato, as many are brightly coloured - inside and out - and strangely shaped, but are packed with vitamins and are organically grown.

'T'ikapapa'was set up to bridge the gap between the Andean farmers and the potato market, allowing them to reap the benefit of their premium goods. The project's participatory market chain approach is now being applied to potato chips and other value-added products.

The number of families involved in the 'T'ikapapa' supply chain has grown from 72 families from three farmer organisations in 2004, to more than 200 families from seven farmer organisations in 2006.

For further information click here: http://www.cipotato.org/ and http://papandina.cip.cgiar.org/