Investment in the future of the potato

Donation to Peruvian initiative AGUAPAN secures genetic resources for climate-resilient breeding

Lüneburg, September 2025 | In mid-August, around 250 invited guests celebrated four important events for the EUROPLANT Group: 125 years of Kartoffelzucht Böhm, 50 years of Nordkartoffel Zuchtgesellschaft, the inauguration of the EUROPLANT Biotechnikum and the retirement of long-standing breeding manager Dr Hans-Reinhard Hofferbert. 

As part of the celebrations, guests were asked to donate to a very special organisation instead of bringing gifts: AGUAPAN is a local initiative uniting over a hundred farmer communities from the Peruvian Andes that have been dedicated to preserving the genetic diversity of potatoes since 2015. 

Genetic diversity as foundation for the future

Local farming families, who act as ‘guardians’ of hundreds of traditional varieties, are not only preserving an important cultural heritage, but also securing a central basis for future food security. The old varieties contain valuable characteristics that are indispensable in the breeding of new varieties to combat challenges such as climate change, disease and nutrient deficiencies. By documenting, preserving and developing this diversity, AGUAPAN makes a decisive contribution to the protection of biodiversity and sustainable agriculture worldwide. The International Potato Centre (CIP) monitors the conservation status of the traditional varieties and when requested by the farmers also conserves safety duplicates in its genebank, thus ensuring their preservation.

Dr. Justus Böhm, Managing Director of EUROPLANT, emphasizes the importance of this work: ‘We rely on old varieties for breeding. They contain important genetic traits that help us breed more efficient, more tolerant varieties that are capable of meeting the challenges of the future.’

Donation amount doubled

The guests at the event donated around 10,000 euros, and EUROPLANT itself donated the same amount. ‘We are delighted to be able to contribute to the important work of AGUAPAN with this donation,’ said Böhm.

AGUAPAN itself is grateful for the support. Aurea Eulalia Mendoza Capcha, the elected president of the custodian farmer association, mentions ‘this valuable donation will allow us to support the highland families who sustain the ongoing evolution of the potato through investment in their wellbeing. Every year each member of AGUAPAN receives a financial retribution in recognition of their effort to conserve 50 to 300 local varieties per household. The resources will be used for health care, education, agricultural inputs and for strengthening the leadership capacity within the association. We sincerely thank EUROPLANT for recognizing the connection between conservation of the potato in the Andes and the sustainability of breeding in Europe. We also wish to congratulate the company on its 125^th anniversary.’

2025 09 EUROPLANT press release_Donation to AGUAPAN (PDF)