The Feed the Future – Biotechnology Potato Partnership (BPP) is a five-year, $5.9 million multi-institution cooperative agreement between MSU, USAID, Simplot Company and other global institutions to develop and bring to market improved potato products in farmer- and consumer-preferred varieties in Asian countries. BPP offers biotech potato products with broad-spectrum resistance to late blight (Phytophthora infestans), the most devastating potato disease in the world, and highly endemic throughout Bangladesh and Indonesia.
Specifically, BPP provides strategic human and institutional capacity building and support (research, development and outreach) to in-country partners in Bangladesh (BARI) and Indonesia (ICABIOGRAD) to support access to, technology transfer, and sustainable use of biotech potato technologies.
The project also monitors and evaluates environmental impact, gender balance contribution and socio-economic impact of these biotechnologies. BPP and partner institutions will steward biotech potato products for distribution to low-income farmers and eventual commercialization in Bangladesh and Indonesia. All these activities support and align with USAID’s goal of increasing food security and resilience.
This fiscal year (October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020), BPP continued to make significant progress towards contribution to its goals and objectives. The project successfully implemented several activities of the grant.
The BPP annual report summarizes all of the achievements of BPP for FY 2020 and provides evidence of the
project’s performance and contributions to providing science-based answers and solutions to bring about
food security, agricultural development, equality and sustainability.
The annual report can be accessed here.
Source: Feed the Future – Biotechnology Potato Partnership (BPP)
