Davos – The Ünschi Härdöpfel project aims to bring potato cultivation back to Davos. Now it also has its own website. The initiators around Martin Hänggi from Bioladen Davos and from the NextGenerations association are relying on external support.
The Ünschi Härdöpfel project produces potatoes in Davos for Davos. The potato fields in the Landwasser Valley had lain fallow for over seven decades, explains co-initiator Martin Hänggi in a video on the project’s new website. The aim of the project is for “us to have our own Härdöpfel again and not have to import everything from the lowlands”, says the owner of the organic store in Davos.
Potatoes are well suited for cultivation in the Alps. “This is a product that works in the mountains,” says Hänggi. The potato is frugal and suitable for many uses. “There is a lot of yield.” In 2022, 3 tons were produced, last year around twice as much.
But there are also challenges, says Hänggi: “Suitable seed is expensive and the work on the slopes is time-consuming. For Hänggi, one thing is clear: “We need outside help.”
Ralf Stucki and his colleagues from Live Lab were therefore among the initiators right from the start. The Zurich-based live communications agency is heavily involved in the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. She supported the project with money and working time and also produced the video. “We want to give something back because we are very active at the WEF,” says Miriam Rivas from Live Lab in the video. Stucki also wants to involve his own customers at the WEF in the project. But: “Whether the customer goes along with it or not, we do it.”
Ünschi Härdöpfel is now giving all interested parties the opportunity to support the project. The NextGenerations network association, which is also a co-initiator, has launched a page on which contributions of any amount can be made to benefit the project. ce/stk
