As many like to give names and extensions to the concept of passing years, the United Nations is no different. The UN has designated the year 2008 as the Year of the Potato.

Yes, the world’s favorite tuber has found a place of glory in the year 2008. The agriculture world tells us that worldwide, 300 million tons of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) are produced each year, with that amount increasing by 5% each of the last few years. The potato is the fourth largest produced crop, trailing only corn, wheat, and rice.

Science tells us that the tuber originated in the Andes of South America, 8000 years ago. Five hundred years ago Spanish explorers brought this little gem of food goodness back to Europe. Now the potato is grown in all areas of the world, including China, and the steppes of the Ukraine.

In fact, many would think that the United States is the largest producer of the potato. Not true, as the pecking order starts with China, Russia, and then India. (Who knew?)

Asians eat the most potatoes per year, but the amount per capita is actually very small. (When did you last see any Oriental dish that included potatoes?) Here is where the US excels. We eat the greatest number of potatoes per capita of any people on Earth.

So you might be asking why the UN is so fired up on the potato. It so happens that the potato is the easiest of the big nutrient providers to grow, and matures faster and in more difficult terrain than any of the other staple crops. This is why the UN wishes to promote larger than the current 5% growth rate. With greater harvests of potatoes, more people can be fed, and death by malnourishment is one step closer to a memory for the world.

from Science News

To help get this word out to agricultural agencies in parts of the world not already turned on to spuds, and from them to farmers, the International Potato Center will be sponsoring a March 2008 meeting: Potato Science for the Poor–Challenges for the New Millennium (http://www.cipotato.org/Cuzco_conference/). Those who attend will have the opportunity to explore the possibility of cooperating to fine tune existing potatoes into higher-yielding varieties.

The International Potato Center’s gene bank safeguards the largest biodiversity of potatoes—7,500 different varieties, of which 1,950 are not cultivated. Research on spuds, especially studies aimed at fostering food security and the alleviation of poverty, have become a focus for the center.

With all of this talk of potatoes, are you hungry yet? The UN program has so far identified 172,000 web pages containing recipes for using potatoes. Stay tuned, it says: “We will gather the best of them” and share them on the Year of the Potato website.

 

Wow. That’s a lot of potato pages. So think about some potatoes in your garden this year, as they taste good, and even people with less than green thumbs can grow them successfully. Every one you eat from your garden is one less that comes from the store. It all starts with you.

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