Irish charity Vita, has launched their spud appeal to raise in excess of €100,000 that will be used to provide seed potatoes for thousands of Ethiopian families in a region the size of Ireland thus helping them take charge of their own destiny by securing food supply and income for the next 5 years.

Barbara Nolan Head of Representation European Commission along with radio celebrity and renowned botanist Eanna Ni Lamhna helped Vita launch the Spud Appeal at European Union Delegation Office in Dublin.

Vita have shown local families that one bag of seed can yield ten bags thus allowing an increase in income from €50/year to €500/year and an ability to pay back, in kind, the original bag plus another bag. These 2 bags will go into a community based co-op to be used by other families in delivering overall food security and income generation in the region.

Vita has become renowned in Ethiopia for turning hungry families dependent on our aid, into thriving farmers, with food and money to raise their families.  During 2010, Vita piloted the seed potato program to 300 farmers and the yields were five times more than for the traditional Ethiopian potatoes.  In September, the European Union awarded Vita with top marks of A for the work with farmers in Ethiopia. 

Now Vita is targeting thousands more families in an area the size of Ireland.  Eanna Ni Lamhna lauded the role of the potato in Vita’s work.  “The Irish potato, so much part of Ireland’s history, is a key to a sustainable future for Ethiopia”.  The UN have called potato a “hidden treasure” for poor countries for its high starch content, and 2008 was declared the “Year of the Potato”

Vita is looking for funds from communities, individuals and organisations throughout Ireland by May 1^st, with no amount being too small, in order to meet the deadline time for growing the seed potatoes.