Potato Futures: Impact of hybrid varieties

On Monday November 30, 2020 an international conference took place about the future of the hybrid potato, called Potato Futures: Impact of hybrid varieties. In this one-day international conference a variety of Dutch and international speakers contributed to a diverse and interactive programme. Main subject to the conference was the potential and promises of the hybrid potato in response to the global challenges of food security, sustainability and climate change. 

As the third global food crop the potato has the potential to make a major contribution to future food security. The Netherlands is the largest worldwide exporter of seed potatoes. In the last decade there has been a concerted effort in the Netherlands to develop a novel approach in potato breeding which makes available potato for cultivation in the form of true hybrid seed. This seed is devoid of contaminating pathogens and can be easily propagated, transported and stored. Moreover, the hybrid potato promises to significantly accelerate the process of breeding compared to conventional practices today. As a result, the hybrid potato may provide a promising response to the global challenges of food security, sustainability and climate change.

On Monday November 30, 2020 an international conference took place about the future of the hybrid potato, called Potato Futures: Impact of hybrid varieties. In this one-day international conference a variety of Dutch and international speakers contributed to a broad discussion of the potential and promises of the hybrid potato. The conference was opened by Jim Lorenzen from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and closed by Louise O. Fresco, president of the Executive Board of Wageningen University & Research and Myrtille Danse, executive director of Netherlands Food Partnership.

The conference was organized by a partnership of Wageningen University & Research, Rathenau Instituut, University of Groningen, the Dutch potato seed company Solynta and the recently established Netherlands Food Partnership.

More information on the conference can be found here.

A report of the conference will be published soon at the NFP website.