When: 27 May 2024, 14:00 – 17:00 CEST
Where: Residence Palace, Rue de la Loi 155, 1040 Brussels.
Event Programme
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The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is delighted to celebrate the first International Day of Potato on Monday, May 27, 2024, in Brussels, co-hosted by Peru. The event shall serve as an occasion to recognize the importance of potatoes in global food security and sustainable agriculture.
Potatoes, originating from the Andean region of South America, have become a global staple, providing essential nutrients and calories to millions. Their adaptability to diverse climates and versatility in culinary applications make them a crucial component of diets worldwide. The International Day of Potato will serve henceforth as an annual reminder of the potato’s immense contribution to global nutrition.
In the face of climate change and a growing global population, sustainable agriculture practices are imperative. Potatoes, with their high yield per unit of land and ability to thrive in varied conditions, play a vital role in ensuring food security. The celebration in Brussels aims to highlight sustainable approaches to potato cultivation, fostering resilience in the face of environmental challenges.
Beyond its nutritional value, the potato also has deep cultural significance in many regions of the world. The event will leverage both the Peruvian and Belgian historical and cultural connection to potatoes.
The FAO International Day of Potato celebration in Brussels will gather EU institutions, UN Member States and policymakers as a platform for global collaboration and exchange on the role of potatoes in better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.
This celebration will also serve as a testament to the collective commitment towards sustainable agriculture, biodiversity preservation, and the well-being of potato farming communities worldwide.
The collaboration between FAO, Peru, and Belgium underscores the shared responsibility in addressing global food challenges.
More about the International Day of Potato
As the third most consumed food crop globally, potatoes contribute to the food security and nutrition as well as livelihoods and employment of people in rural and urban areas around the world.
Celebrated on May 30th, the International Day of Potato 2024 is an opportunity to build on the International Year of the Potato, which was observed in 2008. The observance will also be used to underscore the importance of the crop to combating hunger and poverty and addressing environmental threats to agrifood systems. The roles of small-scale family farmers, a significant proportion of whom are women, in safeguarding the wide spectrum of the crop’s diversity, will also be recognized, while the cultural and culinary dimensions of the crop’s cultivation and consumption will be celebrated.
Visit the official website of the International Day of Potato
