We join the UN in recognizing four distinct designations: International Year of the Potato honours the humble, yet essential, potato, the world’s most widely grown tuber crop and daily bread for millions of people. It is also Year of the Reef and we are encouraged to safeguard the health of coral reefs everywhere. Additionally, we celebrate the middle year of the triennium International Year of Planet Earth, which recognizes the Earth Sciences for their contribution in helping us make the Earth a safer and healthier place. And finally, we celebrate the International Year of Languages, a most significant initiative to celebrate unity in diversity.

The UN-designated International Year of the Potato (IYP) will raise awareness of the importance of the potato – and of agriculture in general – in addressing issues of global concern, including hunger, poverty and threats to the environment. The mission of the International Year of the Potato is to increase awareness of the importance of the potato as a food in developing nations, and promote research and development of potato-based systems as a means of contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
Over the next two decades, the world’s population is expected to grow on average by more than 100 million people a year. More than 95 percent of that increase will occur in the developing countries, where pressure on land and water is already intense. A key challenge facing the international community is, therefore, to ensure food security for present and future generations, while protecting the natural resource base on which we all depend. The potato will be an important part of efforts to meet those challenges.
The potato has been consumed in the Andes for about 8,000 years. Taken by the Spanish to Europe in the 16th century, it quickly spread across the globe; today, potatoes are grown on an estimated 195,000 square kilometres – 75,000 square miles – of farmland, from China’s Yunnan plateau and the subtropical lowlands of India, to Java’s equatorial highlands and the steppes of Ukraine. In terms of sheer quantity harvested, the humble potato tuber is the world’s number four food crop, with production in 2006 of almost 315 million tonnes (about 347 million US tons). More than half of that total was harvested in developing countries.
The world potato sector is undergoing major changes. Until the early 1990s, most potatoes were grown and consumed in Europe, North America and countries of the former Soviet Union. Since then, there has been a dramatic increase in potato production and demand in Asia, Africa and Latin America, where output rose from less than 30 million tonnes in the early 1960s to almost 120 million tonnes by the mid-1990s. FAO data shows that in 2005, for the first time, the developing world’s potato production - some 162 million tonnes - exceeded that of the developed world (156 million tonnes). China is now the biggest potato producer, and almost a third of all potatoes is harvested in China and India.
Potatoes are rich in carbohydrates, making them a good source of energy. They have the highest protein content (around 2.1 percent on a fresh weight basis) in the family of root and tuber crops, and protein of a fairly high quality, with an amino-acid pattern that is well matched to human requirements. They are also very rich in vitamin C; a single medium-sized potato contains about half the recommended daily intake and one fifth of the recommended daily value of potassium.
World potato production has increased at an annual average rate of 4.5 percent over the last 10 years, and exceeded the growth in production of many other major food commodities in developing countries, particularly in Asia. While potato consumption has declined in Europe, it has increased in the developing world, from less than 10 kg (22 lb) per capita between 1961 and 1963 to almost 22 kg (48.5 lb) in 2003. Consumption of potato in developing countries is still less than a quarter of that in Europe, but all evidence suggests it will increase strongly in the future.
Despite the great increase in global food production over the past half-century, many individuals and communities – mainly in rural areas – do not have physical or financial access to food year round. Under-nourishment places vulnerable people in a downward spiral of bad health that frequently ends in death. By disrupting access to traditional sources of nutrition, HIV/AIDS and social and political conflicts create large groups of at-risk individuals. In addition, many developing countries face a “double burden” of malnutrition: the persistence of under-nutrition, along with a rapid rise in obesity due to unhealthy diets associated with urbanization. The nutrient-rich potato (and sweet potato) can contribute to improved diets, thus reducing mortality rates caused by malnutrition.
Many farm families are caught in a “poverty trap” in which limited livelihood options conspire to keep them poor. Those livelihoods often need either slight or radical reworking to provide consistent income that enables the family to move out of – and stay out of – poverty. Local markets once safe from outside competition now face increased penetration from a wide range of suppliers due to globalization and urbanization. Learning to innovate and engage with markets, and to become more competitive, are challenges for small scale farm families. In order to compete in regional and global markets, they need yield-improving and input-saving technologies to help close the persistent yield and cost gap. IYP can focus global attention on the need to alleviate poverty by increasing incomes and linking farmers to markets.
Most of the world’s farms are less than two hectares in size. In sub-Saharan Africa and many parts of Asia, farms are still shrinking and may continue to do so for the next several generations. As farm size shrinks, many farm families are switching from grains and legumes to root and tuber crops to meet subsistence and income goals. Farms with declining area are being managed more and more intensively, leading to soil erosion and ecological imbalances that encourage pest and disease outbreaks. The IYP can focus global attention on solutions for sustainable intensification of farming systems that will stop or reverse the loss of natural resources. Information reprinted from www.potato2008.org

When 1997 was declared the International Year of the Reef (IYOR), it was initiated in response to the increasing threats and loss of coral reefs and associated ecosystems, like mangroves and sea grasses. IYOR 97 was a global effort to increase awareness and understanding of coral reefs, and support conservation, research and management efforts. IYOR 97 proved to be very successful, with over 225 organizations in 50 countries and territories participating, over 700 articles in papers and magazines generated, hundreds of scientific surveys undertaken, and catalyzed conservation and policy initiatives, as well as numerous local and global organizations dedicated to coral reef conservation. More information on IYOR 97 can be found at www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/coral-reef.html
Recognizing that 10 years after IYOR 97 there continues to be an urgent need to increase awareness and understanding of coral reefs, and to further conserve and manage valuable coral reef and associated ecosystems, the International Coral Reef Initiative designated 2008 as the International Year of the Reef (IYOR 2008).
IYOR 2008 will:
• Strengthen awareness about the ecological, economic, social and cultural value of coral reefs and associated ecosystems.
• Improve understanding of the critical threats to coral reefs and generate both practical and innovative solutions to reduce these threats.
• Generate urgent action at all levels to develop and implement effective management strategies for conservation and sustainable use of these ecosystems.

The International Year of Planet Earth aims to capture people’s imagination with the exciting knowledge we possess about our planet and to see that knowledge used to make the Earth a safer, healthier and wealthier place for our children and grandchildren.
The International Year of Planet Earth aims to ensure greater and more effective use of the knowledge accumulated by the world’s 400,000 Earth scientists. The Year’s ultimate goal of helping to build safer, healthier and wealthier societies around the globe is expressed in the Year’s subtitle Earth Science for Society.
The International Year runs from January 2007 to December 2009 – the central year of the triennium (2008) having been proclaimed by the UN General Assembly as the UN Year. The UN sees the Year as a contribution to their sustainable development targets as it promotes wise (sustainable) use of Earth materials and encourages better planning and management to reduce risks for the world’s inhabitants.
The International Year of Planet Earth is a joint initiative by UNESCO and the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). Twelve founding partners, 26 associate partners and a growing number of international partner organizations from all continents and representing all major geoscientific communities in the world have embarked on this initiative. The Year also enjoys the full political support of 191 UN countries. Visit http://ess.nrcan.gc.ca/iype_e.php

The UN has proclaimed 2008 the International Year of Languages, recognizing that genuine multilingualism promotes unity in diversity and international understanding. The UN pursues multilingualism as a means of promoting, protecting and preserving diversity of languages and cultures globally and the Assembly emphasized the paramount importance of the equality of the Organization’s six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. The Assembly requested the Secretary-General to ensure that all language services were given equal treatment and were provided with equally favourable working conditions and resources. The Secretary-General was also requested to complete the task of publishing all important United Nations documents on the Organization’s website in all six official languages, on a priority basis.