Potatoes are a vital crop in Peru, and are used to make many Peruvian dishes, including Papa a la Huancaina, above.
CNN.com reported on Peru this week, saying, “When the chips are down, the world may one day owe a debt of gratitude to a group of potato farmers high up in the mountains of Peru.” Why? Because of Peruvian potatoes. As agriculture has become more commercialized in the past century, the practice of farmers saving their seeds and therefore preserving a large variety of crops has decreased tremendously. As a result, over 90 percent of the tree, vegetable and fruit varieties found in America in the beginning of the 20th century are now gone. The same phenomenon has occurred in many countries around the world, meaning that we are all depending on a few select varieties of vital crops such as corn, beans, wheat, and potatoes. This increases the chances of food crises in the future, due to pests, population growth, and climate change. To combat these scary statistics, scientists are now working to preserve diverse crops as part of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. First, they created a seed bank in Norway, which now contains 1.1 million seed varieties. Now they are focusing on the crops that cannot be preserved in that way. Therefore, a fund has been established to pay farmers in 11 communities, including the Quechua community in Peru, so they can focus on preserving diverse crops on their farms. The impressive array of potatoes that grow in Peru may one day prevent another Potato Famine. We recently reported that Peruvian potatoes are going to space, and now they may save the planet.
