On 30 May, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) spotlights the potato, Solanum tuberosum (L.) – a crop regularly consumed by billions of people, potatoes are a key crop across diverse farming systems globally, ranging from smallholders producing diverse heirloom varieties by hand in the Andes, to vast commercial, mechanized farms in different continents.

Potatoes contribute to the food security and nutrition as well as and livelihoods and employment of people in rural and urban areas the world over. The Day is an opportunity to build on the International Year of the Potato, which was observed in 2008. The observance will also be used to underscore the importance of the crop to combating hunger and poverty and addressing environmental threats to agrifood systems. The roles of small-scale family farmers, a significant proportion of whom are women, in safeguarding the wide spectrum of the crop’s diversity, will also be recognized, while the cultural and culinary dimensions of the crop’s cultivation and consumption will be celebrated. The third observance of the International Day of Potato will be on 29 May 2026 (as 30 May falls on a Saturday), with the theme Where potatoes grow, livelihoods flourish. The theme positions the role of potatoes in strengthening livelihoods for farmers and value chain actors —from the highlands of the Andes to Africa, Europe, Asia and beyond. By advancing potato farming and value chain development, the crop contributes to poverty reduction, resilience and more inclusive and sustainable agrifood systems.