About the Symposium

Tropical roots and tubers (Sweetpotato, Cassava, Potato, Andean roots and tubers, Yams and Aroids) are the third most important food crops in the world. These crops make significant contribution to income generation, sustainable development and household food security.

Strategies need to be developed to address key issues in productivity, crop plant-soil/water/energy resources management, and postharvest utilization as food and feed, nutritional and health value addition, and trade and commercialization, so that the role of tropical roots in ensuring sustainable development can be enhanced. The symposium provides an opportunity for experts from around the world to meet and address this agenda.

The symposium will be jointly organized by the International Society for Tropical Root Crops (ISTRC), the International Potato Center (CIP) and the National Agrarian University at La Molina (UNALM).

The ISTRC was established in 1967.The  Society’s triennial symposia serve as a unique platform form interaction among scientists working on all tropical root and tuber crops from various backgrounds from around the world to share experiences, build collaborations and develop strategies to contribute to sustainable development.

The Society is delighted that CIP and the UNALM in Peru have agreed to co-host this Symposium. Because Peru is a major center of origin and domestication of many root and tuber crop species, and is hosting CIP, a CGIAR center, the 15th  ISTRC symposium will also deal with potatoes.

All Symposium activities will be mainly conducted in English. All publications planned to be produced, will be in English. The oral presentations however, can be done in English or Spanish, with simultaneous translation.