ROOTS FOR LIFE

On October 1, you can join a global campaign launched by the Roots for Life Foundation. This is a unique opportunity for 4,235 donors to become Heroes for Life and help to secure the future of humanity by contributing to the conservation of the 4,235 native potato varieties held in trust at the world collection of the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru.

It is a story as old as civilization itself. About 8000 years ago the people living in the Lake Titicaca region of Peru and Bolivia domesticated a plant that today has become the third most important food crop in the world. The potato has changed the history of the human race, and we have only unlocked a small part of its potential. Potatoes have fed us in times of war and famine, helped populations recover after natural disasters and even played a major role in the Industrial Revolution.

There are 4,235 identified varieties of native potato, developed and nurtured by the people of the Andes, and protected by the scientists of the International Potato Center. These native potato varieties possess different characteristics that hold answers to the global challenges we face – from food security to climate change. They are part of humankind’s insurance policy for the future.

That is why the Roots for Life Foundation – in celebration of the United Nations International Year of Biodiversity – is launching this fund-raising campaign. Their aim is to secure this extraordinary potato biodiversity for future generations. At the center of the campaign is a website where potential donors can experience the importance of the potato – past, present and future – along with information about how you can become a Hero for Life.

Visit the website and become a Hero:
www.rootsforlife.org

Each Hero is asked to contribute $US 5,000 to ensure the survival of one native potato variety, forever. It will take US $21,175,000 to guarantee all 4,235 potato varieties for future generations. That is less than the cost of French fries sold every 24 hours in the United States alone!

The campaign begins on 1 October 2010 – during the International Year of Biodiversity – and aims to celebrate the “Heroes” at a special ceremony held on 15 February 2011 in Svalbard, Norway – home of the Global Seed Vault.

For more information please contact the Roots for Life Foundation, at:

Address: 30 East Plato Boulevard St. Paul, MN 55107 USA
Telephone: +1 612 604 4270
Email: contact@rootsforlife.org
Website: www.rootsforlife.org

A new international foundation is being set up to protect potato varieties in perpetuity and is appealing for individuals and companies to show their support and become Heroes for Life

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The story of the potato is also the stroy of humankind, says PAMELA ANDERSON, director of the International Potato Center.

It reflects our grandest achievments and our most desperate acts. This month she launches the Roots For Life campaign, seeking support for CIP’s gene bank
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FOR some reason, it’s always called the “humble” potato. But the tasty tuber from the Andes is poised to take over the world. As the food crisis bites, the land area planted with potatoes is increasing faster than for any other staple crop. Developing countries now grow and eat more of them than the traditional potato-eaters of the rich countries: today, the world’s biggest potato producer is China, and India produces twice as much by weight each year as the US.

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