Fortalecimiento de capacidades de organizaciones campesinas en producción de semilla de papa (Solanum tuberosum L.) en Colombia, 2020-2022

Potato is a crop of great importance for food security in different regions of the world, including Colombia. Estimates for 2021 show that approximately 100,000 producers, mainly smallholders, will plant potatoes across 118,070 hectares in Colombia. On the other hand, the use of asexual planting material in potato production can lead to seed degeneration, resulting in loss of yield and commercial quality because of the accumulation of pathogens in the tubers. Lack of knowledge of quality parameters and farmers' limited technical, organizational, financial, and market capacities exacerbate this situation. To mitigate this problem, Agrosavia (Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria) developed a basic training plan on seed potato quality production, based on Resolution 3168 of 2015 of the ICA (Colombian Agricultural Institute), which was implemented in 12 producer organizations throughout the country. The objective was to strengthen the capacity of these groups in technical, organizational, financial, and market aspects. The results were positive, as there was evidence of an increase in producers' knowledge and skills, which led to improvements in production and environmental protection, as well as in the market integration of potatoes and other agricultural products. This capacity-building approach is fundamental to promoting the sustainability of the production system and ensuring food security in Colombia. Thanks to this initiative, farmers will face the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities to produce quality seed, thus improving their position in the agricultural market. Therefore, this article briefly presents the main results of implementing the methodology proposed by Agrosavia to strengthen the capacity to produce quality seed potatoes with organizations of small and medium-sized producers in Colombia during the period 2020-2022.