Palm | Kelapa Sawit

The Collaborative Programme on the Biodiversity of Andean Roots and Tubers was implemented from 1993 to 2003 under the Consortium for the Sustainable Development of the Andean Ecoregion (CONDESAN), with financial backing from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The purpose of this programme was to enhance the quality of life of Andean rural families by making the production of roots and tubers competitive through the efficient use and conservation of biodiversity. The first stage of the programme led to the selection of a number of promising items. One priority product was arracacha (Arracacia xanthorriza). Despite its high nutritional value, this Andean root, also known as Peruvian carrot, is an underutilized, endangered product. The root is highly versatile in terms of culinary and industrial handling, and in the Andean region it is eaten as a substitute for potatoes. For these reasons, and in response to market signals, the project Promotion of Andean Crops: Development of Agro-industries and Markets for Arracacha was implemented from 1999 to 2002, with financial backing from the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC).