FAO announces the theme for International Day of Potato 2025

Following the successful inaugural observance last year, FAO is delighted to announce the theme for the International Day of Potato 2025: Shaping history, feeding the future.

This year’s theme is in recognition of the journey of the potato - from its domestication in the Andes and global dissemination following the Columbian Exchange, through the unfortunate Irish Potato Famine , to its current status as a major staple for millions - while also acknowledging the opportunities and challenges that exist across its value chain.

Cultivated in more than 100 countries, the potato has a rich past and a promising future. As the world’s leading non-grain food crop, it reached a record annual production of 383 million tonnes in 2023. Today, developing countries account for more than half of global output, with demand and consumption continuing to rise. Due to its adaptability, high yield, and nutritional value, the potato has become a cash crop for millions of small-scale farmers worldwide.

However, unlike major cereals, potatoes are not globally traded in large volumes, and their local prices are usually driven by the domestic production environment rather than international market volatility. This makes potatoes a valuable food security crop for small-scale producers and vulnerable consumers during times of global supply chain instability.

“From the soil to the plate, the potato holds the power to transform lives,” says Yurdi Yasmi, Director of FAO Plant Production and Protection Division. “To ensure a sustainable food-secure future benefitting from potato, we must accelerate the adoption of climate-smart varieties and agronomic practices, scale up access to quality seeds and promote integrated pest management of the crop. In doing so, we can grow a future where every farmer thrives, every plate is nourishing, and every harvest feeds hope,” he explains.

This year’s observance takes place during FAO's 80th anniversary year and aims to reflect on the critical contributions of the potato to food security and nutrition, rural livelihoods and income generation as well as identify constraints to its value chain and imagine the desired future for this staple.

To support awareness-raising efforts, FAO has launched a global campaign highlighting the dietary, socioeconomic, and environmental benefits of potato production.

Help shape the future of the potato by organizing and/or taking part in events around you and explore these key resources:

• The second edition of A Guide to International Day of Potato for ideas, resources, and practical tips for different stakeholders to engage in the Day meaningfully. Available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
• The International Day of Potato website for up-to-date news, stories, events, videos, and facts on the potato.
• The Digital Media Hub to download the official visual identity and communications materials in six official FAO languages to advocate for the potato.
• The Trello board to access ready-to-use social media contents and publish your posts incorporating the hashtag #InternationalDayofPotato.

By participating in these activities, we can continue to raise the profile of this important crop, and thereby promote its role now and in the future.

More on this topic

• International Day of Potato
• Potato water management
• International Potato Center
• World Potato Congress

Report

International Day of Potato

30 May