Report on the Challenges and opportunities brought about by genetic diversity in the Scottish Potato Sector
Résumé
Potatoes are one of the most important crops in Scotland, providing a buoyant export market and an important dietary staple. As genetic agrobiodiversity is generally considered as important for the resilience of agricultural system, this research aims to understand some of the complexities of the potato sector to ensure that it is best placed to take advantage of opportunities, manage challenges and create resilience. More specifically, this research examines: i/how genetic resources are managed in the potato sector; ii/ stakeholders’ perceptions of the challenges and opportunities brought about by genetic agrobiodiversity as well as, iii/their perceptions of the role played by genetic agrobiodiversity in the resilience of the sector. This will help highlight the key nodal points upon which to act in order to enhance the benefits of genetic diversity to the Scottish potato sector. A total of 18 qualitative interviews were conducted with key representatives from the sector which were transcribed for further content analysis. The main results of this research are: • Genetic diversity in the potato sector is relatively low as most of the commercial varieties are from the Tuberosum species • Current management of the genetic agrobiodiversity is done within the framework of international treaties and a national infrastructure that guarantees the quality, health status and uniqueness of potato varieties • The Commonwealth Potato Collection (CPC) is a key asset to the industry which potential remains to be unlock through use and diffusion of new genetic engineering techniques • The potential of the CPC lies in the opportunities it offers to tackle challenges such as climate change and evolving phytosanitary constraints at the national and global level • Current power structures within commercial supply chains and marketing strategies might hamper the potential brought about by agrobiodiversity • Resilience of potato sector was seen as resulting from: environmental factors, social capital, structure of the supply chain and business models of the individual farms, market demand and offer, technological progress and political factors which interplay complexifies the sector’s ability to thrive but the potato sector was judged to be resilient overall
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