Maintenance and scaling up potato growing and consumption heritage in Northern Baltic region to build up resilient communities

Self-sufficiency and adaptability is an important factor in overcoming unexpected crises and disruptions in supply chains for different population groups. Latvia, Estonia and Finland are countries located relatively far from the leading EU markets, which makes their societies particularly sensitive to disruptions in supply chains. Growing potatoes for self-consumption is popular and relatively evenly distributed in the region, which contributes to food security in the event of various unexpected challenges (pandemic, political situation affecting supplies, etc.). In the world, potatoes are recognized as a crop that must be grown to ensure self-sufficiency. Potatoes provide nutrition faster and from a smaller unit of area than any other leading crop, especially in harsher climates. However, small growers usually need a small amount of seed material, but certified seed material in small packages is practically not available for locally bred and conserved or historical varieties (the availability of local varieties significantly shortens supply chains and contributes to food safety). The project will develop recommendations for expanding the registration of preserved (historical) varieties by identifying weak points in the current legal acts. Guidelines will be developed for non-commercial users on depositing potato material into gene banks, as well as retrieving material from them. Marketing strategies for the most suitable local varieties will be transformed, improving the availability of healthy seed potatoes in small packages.