International Potato Day Celebrated Worldwide

Kathmandu. Today is International Potato Day. This day is being celebrated in various programs in different countries of the world with the slogan 'Where potatoes grow, livelihoods flourish'.

This day has started to be celebrated from 2024 by the call of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This day is being celebrated for the third time on May 29, 2026.

This day aims to promote sustainable and inclusive agri-food systems by encompassing all stakeholders from farmers to the value chain involved in potato production, distribution, and consumption. Potato, scientific name Solanum tuberosum. It is one of the major crops included in the regular diet of billions of people worldwide.

According to FAO, potatoes are cultivated in 159 countries and about 5,000 varieties are found worldwide. This crop, connected with human civilization for about 8,000 years, remains as important as ever as a basis for food security and livelihoods.

Potatoes, cultivated in diverse agricultural systems from high hilly regions to plains, have been making a significant contribution to ensuring food security and nutrition. Its production has helped in poverty reduction by creating employment in both rural and urban areas.

This crop, spread from small farmers to large commercial farms, has made economic activities dynamic in various continents of the world. This day aims to further highlight the importance of the potato crop by continuing the achievements of the International Year of the Potato celebrated in 2008.

Especially, the role played by small family farmers, a significant number of whom are women farmers, in conserving and promoting diverse potato varieties will also be honored on this occasion.

Similarly, it is expected that this day, celebrated globally, will also highlight the diversity connected with the cultural and culinary traditions of potatoes. The United Nations has stated that the contribution of crops like potatoes is important in developing sustainable agricultural systems to face challenges such as increasing hunger, poverty, and climate change.