Innovation to enhance agriculture, nutrition, and health linkages. The IssAndes Project.

This brief presents the experience of a research for development project that promoted innovation for food and nutrition security in the Andean rural highlands enhancing the linkages between agriculture, nutrition, and health interventions in potato-based production systems.

The Innovation for Food Security in the Andes (IssAndes) project was implemented in 2011-2015 and aimed to reduce the vulnerability to food insecurity of rural populations in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, by introducing innovations in native potato-based production systems and the promotion of dietary diversity. The emphasis was placed on native varieties of potato because they are part of the diet of these populations, and have a higher content of micronutrients and are richer in antioxidants than commercial varieties.