EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR SUSTAINABLE POTATOES AS A CROP FOR NORTHERN GHANA

加纳北部位于撒哈拉以南地区，人口360万，贫困率高（<50%），经济上依赖农业。它必须不断应对天气、害虫和营养不良带来的威胁。加纳和英国政府都致力于支持整个供应链的增长，以帮助小农户摆脱贫困，支持更多的本土产品，并增加出口。还有一种通过饮食摄入来改善穷人健康的运动。这项提议是进行为期18个月的可行性研究，以调查将土豆作为一种新作物引入该地区和该国的可能性。为了最大限度地提高成功的机会，我们建议使用由Sarvari研究信托基金开发的具有以下特点的新型马铃薯种子品种：i)抗晚疫病和抗病毒；ii)抑制杂草生长的活力；iii)储存中的天然抑芽特性；4)耐旱性和5)减少对昂贵化学品投入的依赖。目标是：1)评估加纳北部种植和储存土豆的潜力；2)调查作物多样化的商业潜力；3)加强英国和加纳在农业技术领域的研究合作和知识交流。

The north of Ghana is sub-Saharan, has a population of 3.6 million, high levels of poverty (<50%) and is economically reliant on agricultural. It has to constantly deal with threats posed by weather, pests and malnutrition. Both Ghana and UK governments are focused on supporting growth across the supply chain to lift smallholder farmers out of poverty, support more home-grown products and increase exports. There is also a drive to improve the health of the poor through dietary intake. The proposition is for an 18 month feasibility study to investigate the potential for introducing potatoes as a new crop to the region, and to the country. To maximise the chances of success we propose using novel seed potato varieties, developed by the Sarvari Research Trust, with the following characteristics: i) Late blight and virus resistance; ii) Vigour to suppress weed growth; iii) Natural sprout suppression properties in storage; iv)Drought tolerance and v) Reduced reliance on expensive chemical inputs. The objectives are to: 1) Assess the potential for growing and storing potatoes in northern Ghana; 2) Investigate the commercial potential for the crop diversification; 3) Increase research collaboration and knowledge exchange in the agri-tech sector between the UK and Ghana.