The International Potato Center (known as CIP from its Spanish-language name Centro Internacional de la Papa) is a research facility based in Lima, Peru, that seeks to reduce poverty and achieve food security on a sustained basis in developing countries through scientific research and related activities on potato, sweet potato, other root and tuber crops, and on the improved management of natural resources in the Andes and other mountain areas. It was established in 1971 by decree of the Peruvian government.CIP is one of the 15 specialized research centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, an international consortium of agricultural research organizations, having joined in 1972.In late 2015, they partnered with NASA to attempt to grow potatoes in a simulated Martian environment. In March 2017, they announced that preliminary indications are positive.
Abstract Background Food environments in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are undergoing rapid transformation, particularly in urban and peri-urban settings. These shifts—characterized by changes in food retail landscapes, consumer purchasing behaviors, and the availability and affordability of nutritious foods—have significant implications for nutrition. Yet, the key characteristics of these environments, such as food desirability, convenience, accessibility, and marketing influences, remain underexplored. This systematic scoping review synthesizes evidence published between 2001 and 2023 across eight LMICs (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Peru) to examine how urban and peri-urban food environments shape dietary behaviors and nutrition outcomes. Methods Guided by a conceptual framework encompassing nine key food environment dimensions—availability, prices, marketing and regulation, vendor and product properties, accessibility, affordability, desirability, convenience, and sustainability—we analyzed descriptive, associative, and intervention studies. We searched Scopus and Web of Science, identified 1,609 records, and included 251 studies in the review. Results As might be expected in a growing body of evidence, most research is descriptive, with limited causal or intervention-based evidence. Studies frequently focus on characteristics of informal vendors, sociocultural factors influencing shifts in dietary choice toward unhealthier options, and the proliferation of ultra-processed foods, especially near schools and in informal markets. Associations between food environment and nutrition outcomes, such as elevated BMI and overweight, are often linked to supermarket and fast-food access, though these relationships are frequently confounded by socioeconomic variables. Methodological inconsistencies in defining and measuring food environment dimensions limit cross-context comparability. Only seven intervention studies were identified, with few demonstrating significant improvements in diet or nutrition. Conclusions This review highlights critical evidence gaps in urban food environments in LMICs and underscores the need for standardized measurement and robust evaluations of diet-related interventions. Strengthening this evidence base is essential to inform food policy, urban planning, and public health strategies that promote healthier diets for populations in rapidly urbanizing settings.
Bacterial wilt, caused by the Ralstonia solanacearum species complex (RSSC), severely affects many important crops and significantly limits potato production worldwide. RSSC bacteria can regulate the expression of their virulence factors, including extracellular polysaccharides and endoglucanases, through quorum sensing, which enables bacteria to sense their population density through signaling molecules and collectively switch on virulence factors when a threshold density is reached. 3-hydroxy palmitic acid methyl ester is the main quorum-sensing molecule in RSSC that can be hydrolyzed by β-hydroxypalmytate methyl ester hydrolase (βHPMEH). In this study, we evaluated the ability of βhpmeh transgenic plants of the potato variety Desiree to reduce bacterial wilt symptoms after artificial inoculation with two RSSC strains virulent on potato under controlled conditions and relate it to the expression of the βhpmeh gene. For each transgenic event, we analyzed the phenotypic response (wilt incidence, latent infection, and area under the disease progress curve). Real-time quantitative PCR was performed to determine the relative expression levels of βhpmeh in transgenic events. Several transgenic events were identified with reduced susceptibility to bacterial wilt compared to Desiree, and a resistance level similar or higher to that of potato variety Cruza 148, which is the most resistant variety available, and which was positively correlated with βhpmeh expression. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. This work was funded by the CGIAR consortium research program on roots, tubers and bananas and the CGIAR initiative on Plant Health, both supported by the donors of the CGIAR Trust Fund (http://www.cgiar.org/funders/).
Acute high-altitude hypoxia increases erythropoietin (EPO) and erythroferrone (ERFE), which suppresses hepcidin and enhances iron absorption to support erythropoiesis. Whether these responses to acute exposure persist in long-term acclimatized individuals remains unclear. We conducted a prospective comparative study in 80 healthy Peruvian women (plasma ferritin <30 μg/L) who had lived for ≥5 years at high altitude (Huancavelica, 3670 m, n=40) or sea level (Lima, n=40). The groups were matched for age, body size, plasma ferritin and altitude-adjusted hemoglobin (Hb). Participants consumed ten standardized iron-biofortified potato-based meals, each labeled with 57FeSO4, twice daily for five consecutive days. We measured iron and erythropoiesis-related biomarkers and assessed cumulative fractional iron absorption (FIA) by measuring isotopic incorporation into red blood cells 14 days later. High-altitude residents had significantly higher EPO concentrations (13.6 vs. 4.4 IU/L) and unadjusted Hb concentrations (15.0 vs. 11.8 g/dL) (for both, P<0.01), consistent with chronic hypoxic stimulation of erythropoiesis. There were no differences in altitude-adjusted Hb, plasma ferritin, ERFE, or hepcidin between groups. FIA was higher at altitude (15.8%) compared to sea level (9.3%, P<0.05). At altitude, FIA correlated with intestinal fatty acid binding protein (ρ=0.343, P<0.05), a marker of enterocyte injury. Long-term residence at high altitude is associated with 3-fold higher EPO concentrations and ∼70% greater dietary iron absorption, without changes in ERFE or hepcidin. This suggests chronic adaptation to altitude increases iron absorption through hypoxia-mediated pathways in the gut, independent of hepcidin. This may be associated with increased iron requirements in high-altitude populations. (ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT05500014)
Landscape based natural resources restoration is an irreplaceable approach to recover ecological functionality and to sustain human well-being in degraded landscapes. The Ethiopian Government has put in place some high-level initiatives, and programs to restore degraded lands and its ecosystem services. On the other hand, landscape restoration activities suffered from success and sustainability. The objective of this study was to systematically review the lessons learned and challenges from restoration efforts to identify pathways for scaling up. The study involved reviewing and synthesizing 92 studies focusing on physical soil and water conservation, afforestation/reforestation, and area exclosures. The institutionalized and watershed-based landscape restorations of about half a century have improved forest, soil, water, and crop production. The widespread restoration activities of the country have also provided valuable lessons on approaches, technologies, and impacts for government, non-government, community and the world. The opportunities associated with existing government policies, strategies, and initiatives; availability of testified technologies and experiences; growing community interests; and availability of bilateral donors and development partners that could improve implementation and sustainability of natural resources restoration are reviewed and summarized. Since major landscape restorations are implemented through project and programs, their success and sustainability challenged due to donor dependency, poor community-ownership, and lack of adaptive management. Agro-ecology and socio-economic-based implementation of testified technologies and practices using approaches that empower local communities, and implementing adaptive management are recommended to make landscape restoration effective and sustainable. Policy, regulations and functioning institutions are critical to ensure community involvement and ownership on landscape restoration.
