As the prices of wheat and rice continue to rise, the potato is gaining recognition as a nutritious crop that could efficiently provide food for a world experiencing increased hunger. India aims to double its potato production within the next five to 10 years, while China, historically a major consumer of rice, has become the leading producer of potatoes. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the potato is currently experiencing significant growth compared to other crops. Originating from Peru, potatoes can be cultivated in a wide range of elevations and climates, from the harsh, cold slopes of the Andes Mountains to the warm, tropical flatlands of Asia. They need very little water, can be ready to harvest in as little as 50 days, and can produce two to four times more food per hectare than wheat or rice. Pamela Anderson, director of the International Potato Center in Lima (CIP), a non-profit scientific organization studying the potato family to enhance food security, expressed concern about potential food shortages due to various factors. She believes that the potato can help address these issues and has the potential to alleviate hunger caused by rising food prices, population growth, increasing costs for fertilizer and diesel, and more land being used for biofuel production. The United Nations designated 2008 as the International Year of the Potato to draw attention to its importance as a valuable food source. Governments are also utilizing the potato as a solution to rising wheat prices. In Peru, leaders have implemented a program to promote the use of potato flour in bread-making due to the high cost of wheat. Potato bread is being distributed to various groups in the hopes of popularizing this alternative. Advocates of potato bread claim it has a similar taste to wheat bread, but there is a shortage of mills capable of producing potato flour. Peru's agriculture minister, Ismael Benavides, emphasizes the need to change people's eating habits in order to successfully implement this initiative. The affordability of wheat led to people developing an addiction to it. Despite the potato originating in Peru 8,000 years ago, Europeans consume more potatoes than Peruvians. Belarus is the top consumer of potatoes worldwide, with each person eating an average of 376 pounds (171 kg) annually. In Latvia, rising bread prices caused a decrease in sales, leading consumers to buy more potatoes instead. In the developing world, a large number of new potato crops are being planted, offering poor farmers the opportunity to increase their income as consumption of potatoes rises. Anderson stated that many countries view the potato as a viable option for improving both food security and generating income. Despite being the world's third most important food crop after wheat and rice, many people in the United States only associate potatoes with the common Idaho variety. In reality, there are approximately 5,000 different types of potatoes available in a wide array of colors. Peru is sending a large number of seeds to the Doomsday Vault near the Arctic Circle this year in order to contribute to a gene bank for food crops that was established as a precaution in case of a global catastrophe. Potatoes come in a variety of colors, shapes, textures, and sizes, offering creative chefs the opportunity to create visually appealing dishes. Juan Carlos Mescco, a 17-year-old potato farmer in Peru's Andes, enjoys eating potatoes in various ways throughout the day and attests to their great taste. Potatoes are a rich source of complex carbohydrates, which provide sustained energy release, and have a significantly lower fat content compared to wheat when not consumed with butter. Additionally, potatoes have fewer calories than bread, more protein than corn when boiled, and almost twice the calcium content, as stated by the Potato Center. The potato contains vitamin C, iron, potassium, and zinc. Unlike wheat, potatoes are not a global commodity and therefore have not attracted speculative professional investment. Wheat production is almost double that of potatoes, with 17 percent of wheat flowing into foreign trade compared to less than 5 percent of potatoes. Potato prices are mainly driven by local tastes rather than international demand. Raw potatoes are dense and prone to spoilage during transportation, which has hindered the growth of global trade in this commodity. Additionally, they are easily infected by pathogens, which complicates exporting them to prevent the spread of plant diseases. Consequently, some countries have not offered competitive prices to incentivize farmers to cultivate potatoes. Peruvian market vendors suggest that the government should intervene to boost demand, as prices remain low. Juana Villavicencio, who has spent 15 years working with potatoes, believes that it is not profitable. She now sells them for very low prices in a market in Cusco, in Peru's southern Andes. However, there are advancements in science happening quickly. BASF, a German chemicals group, is developing genetically modified potatoes that can resist "late blight." This disease caused a famine in Ireland during the 19th century and still results in approximately 20 percent of potato harvest losses worldwide, according to the company. Scientists suggest that farmers who use clean, virus-free seeds can increase their yields by 30 percent and be eligible for export. This would result in increased revenue for farmers and promote higher production levels, as companies would have the opportunity to export specialty potatoes rather than only selling them as frozen french fries or potato chips.