The United States Potato Board (USPB) recently met to introduce new ideas about dehydrated potatoes. Guests learned the nutritional facts, planting, production, harvesting, storing and processing. Eight international guests from four private voluntary organizations (PVOs) and two guests from US PVO headquarters attended the USPB Dehydrated Potato Workshop. Among the PVOs participating this year were Africare, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the International Partnership for Human Development (IPHD), Joint Aid Management (JAM), and the Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA).

For the third year running, the USPB hosted guests from select international PVOs for a workshop to introduce US dehydrated potatoes (dehy) as a sensible solution to food programming. The workshop started in Idaho Falls, ID, and finished with the 2009 United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and USDA sponsored International Food Aid Conference (IFAC) in Kansas City, MO.

T.K. Kuwahara, USPB International Marketing Manager of Dehy, introduced the USPB and its programs designed to support PVOs in their food programming efforts. Dehydrated potatoes, a commodity available to PVO’s through USDA and USAID programs, was also introduced. Dehy is often overlooked due to the fact PVO’s are not aware of its benefits.

“Dehy is convenient, nutritious, versatile, and economical for use in food programming,” Kuwahara said. “You can’t get all of benefits of dehy from a list of commodities, so we invite the PVO’s to learn firsthand how they can incorporate dehy to support programs such as the health recovery of people living with HIV/AIDS, to school feeding programs with sustainability features of Parent Teacher Organizations (PTOs), to food aid for emergency relief work.”