Potatoes offer climate-smart solution for global food security

Ensuring access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food at all times, even during crises, is essential. In this context, New Zealand-grown potatoes, often overlooked, play a key role. Potatoes yield more calories per hectare than staple crops like rice and wheat. Their shorter growing season allows for multiple annual harvests. Environmentally, potatoes have a favorable scorecard, emitting less CO², leaching fewer nitrates, and requiring less water than legumes, wheat, or rice. The Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition reports that a kilogram of potatoes necessitates 550 liters of water, compared to 2580 liters for rice, with CO² emissions at 1205 grams per kg for potatoes versus 2585 grams for rice. Potatoes also demand less land, producing around 5kg per 1m², significantly less than rice or legumes.

In New Zealand, 2024 data indicates registered growers produced over 419,000 tonnes of potatoes from 8,500 hectares, mainly in Canterbury, Pukekohe, and Manawatu. Potatoes thrive in diverse climates and withstand climate challenges, presenting a climate-resilient alternative to traditional cereals increasingly threatened by drought, heat, and pests.

Potatoes are nutritionally rich, offering essential nutrients such as vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin B6. They are low in calories, high in fiber (when consumed with skin), and provide protein, making them vital in areas facing food insecurity and malnutrition. Composed primarily of carbohydrates, potatoes are energy-dense, offering substantial calories per serving. Their macronutrient profile, with essential nutrients and moderate protein, makes them an efficient energy source, crucial for food-insecure regions.

Potatoes' accessibility and affordability contribute significantly to food security. Less resource-intensive than many crops or animal proteins, they are generally more affordable, accessible to low-income households and communities. Their ease of cultivation across various environments broadens their availability to diverse growers. Potatoes store well, with a long shelf life without refrigeration or special storage facilities.

New Zealand's role involves aligning with research and innovations to ensure crops remain a critical nutrition source locally and for export. Researchers are developing new potato varieties tolerant to heat, drought, and saline soils, expanding cultivation areas and preparing for climate changes. Staying updated on these developments is crucial for crop success.