Resilient native potatoes: Safeguarding food security in the face of climate change

In the Bolivian Altiplano and the Peruvian Andes, the food security of indigenous and rural communities is vulnerable to extreme climate variability. Native potatoes are essential to the local diet and possess valuable phenotypic resilience; however, they face the risk of genetic erosion due to market displacement. This project proposes to increase agricultural yield and safeguard agrobiodiversity by revaluing ancestral knowledge and integrating genomic tools. Through coordinated work between the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA) and the National Institute of Agrarian Innovation (INIA), the initiative characterizes and selects potato ecotypes tolerant to droughts and frosts. The technical components include marker-assisted genetic improvement, hydrological and edaphic evaluation, and the validation of sustainable agricultural practices in demonstration plots. By linking with the gastronomic sector and transferring technology, the project promotes new commercial opportunities and consolidates resilient production systems.