CA$2.8M to fight potato blight in Colombia
McGill University scientists, led by Ajjamada Kushalappa of the
Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, have teamed up
with researchers from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia to
develop nutritious, high-yielding, and more disease-resistant
potatoes for food-insecure indigenous communities in Colombia.
The CA$2.8 million project, announced today by Canada’s
International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Canadian
International Development Agency (CIDA), in cooperation with McGill
University, is one of six new projects funded under the Canadian
International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF). CIFSRF, a
five-year, CA$62 million initiative, brings Canadian and
developing-country researchers together to produce lasting
solutions to hunger and food insecurity in the developing
world.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with leading scientists and
institutes in Colombia to raise the incomes of poor farmers and
make food more nutritious and secure,” says McGill’s Kushalappa.
“Our university, one of the world leaders in understanding
biochemical processes that occur in stressed plants, will combine
efforts with experts in molecular biology at the Universidad
Nacional to breed better potato cultivars that resist late blight
disease and are high in nutrition.”
In Colombia, where sufficient, safe, and nutritious food is a
national concern, the staple food crop – potato – is threatened by
blight. In the hard-hit indigenous communities of Nariño, it is
also the main income source for small-scale farms, which are mainly
headed by women.
Building on research by the Universidad Nacional de Colombia,
the scientists will develop a number of highly nutritious potato
clones that are resistant to late blight disease. They will also
help Nariño’s indigenous communities adopt more environmentally
sound agricultural and post-harvest practices. Indigenous women
will also learn better agricultural, nutritional, and dietary
practices.
“The knowledge that will be generated through this project will
be adapted to other Andean countries,” says IDRC President, David
Malone. “This is very much in keeping with IDRC’s commitment to
research that supports development through the practical
application of science.”
“Canada is a world leader in the fight against hunger, and our
partnership with IDRC plays a strong part in our efforts. Food and
nutrition security remains a key priority of our government’s
development assistance,” says Bev Oda, Minister of International
Cooperation. “Our contribution to CIFSRF demonstrates Canadian
leadership in assisting developing countries fight hunger through
innovative practices and supports private sector growth in
agriculture.”
Today’s funding announcement brings to 19 the number of projects
supported under CIFSRF which includes researchers from 11 Canadian
universities and 26 developing-country organizations. It also
represents the third and final round of funding announcements in
the first phase of CIFSRF, a key component of the Government of
Canada’s Food Security Strategy, announced by the Prime Minister at
the 2009 G-8 Meeting in L’Aquila, Italy.
More information is available at www.idrc.ca/cifsrf
