Assessing the impact of Cooperation-88 potatoes in China
- From
-
Published on
14.01.16
- Impact Area
-
Funders
China

Potatoes came to China in the early 1600s but were not a major crop until the 1980s. By 1993, China became the world’s largest potato producer, and in 2014, it produced 96 million metric tons – twice as much as India, the second largest producing country[i]. This significant growth in potato production highlights how important potatoes have become in China. This importance is driven by income growth and rapid changes in consumer demand.
Since early 2013, the Chinese government has refined their food security strategy and has been promoting potato as a new staple crop to improve food security and water shortages throughout the country[ii]. Because potatoes have a long storage life and use limited water in production, all while remaining a nutritious option, potato research is now a priority.
As part of the Chinese potato breeding program, several varieties have been produced to increase potato yield while reducing the impact of main biotic constraints in potato production – the most important being late blight.
Related news
-
AI Tool Makes "Invisible Enemy" Visible, Tackling Aflatoxin Risk in Africa's Maize
Sehlule Muzata09.10.25-
Climate adaptation & mitigation
-
Food security
An innovative early warning system powered by artificial intelligence is poised to transform how Afr…
Read more -
-
Advancing public private and people partnership (PPPP) for small scale mechanization in Tunisia: a milestone towards enhanced farm and landscape management.
Multifunctional Landscapes Science Program07.10.25-
Environmental health
-
Environmental health & biodiversity
-
Food security
The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas ICARDA and its national partners…
Read more -
-
Open access model and data on blue and green water consumption of crops to help close water data gap
Policy Innovations Science Program06.10.25-
Food security
IWMI researchers found a 9% increase of global crop blue and green water consumption between…
Read more -