XXIII ALAP Congress and VI Latin American Seminar on Potato Use and Trade

Year 2008 has been declared as the “International Potato Year (IPY) by the UN as a way to focus world attention on the value of potato to fight hunger and poverty in developing countries. Within that context, Argentina has taken responsibility to organize the XXIII ALAP Congress and VI Latin American Seminar on Potato Use and Trading which will take place in Mar del Plata, Argentina, from November 30 to December 6, 2008.

These two events are an unique opportunity for Latin American potato scientists to meet and discuss latest developments in potato science and technology in the region, the cradle of the potato, and highlight its importance as a cosmopolitan food especially in the context of the IPY. The IPY could be considered a pivotal year: it will highlight the importance of the potato as food (the fourth in importance after corn, wheat and rice) which can be produced in regions with scarce cultivated land but with plenty of labour as well as in regions with plenty of land and technology.

ALAP’08 and the VI Latin American Seminar will promote a wide discussion of to-day issues affecting production and consumption of potato emphasizing that it must be produced and traded under integrated management principles. It is expected that in the framework of the IPY these two meetings should put forward new options for potato processing especially applicable to developing countries in their fight against hunger and poverty.