Notes of a Potato Watcher

The potato has a larger story to tell than its humble status suggests. In thisaccount of the potato and its role in human history and the human future James L... » 

The potato has a larger story to tell than its humble status suggests. In thisaccount of the potato and its role in human history and the human future James Lang tells that story. Combining biology and social science hedescribes the origins of cultivated potatoes the many ways to propagatestore and harvest potatoes and the crops potential for feeding a hungryplanet. Along the way Lang also muses on art and agriculture reflects onfamine and demography describes villagebased farmer field schools and looksat the role the potato plays in China and other key areas of the world.Native to the New World the potato was first domesticated by Andean farmersprobably in the Lake Titicaca basin. Full of essential vitamins and energygiving starch the potato has proved a valuable world resource. CuriousSpaniards took the potato back to Europe from whence it spread worldwide.Today the largest potato producer is China with India not far behind.From the many potato projects he studied Lang learned a simple direct lessonhow to address basic problems with practical solutions. Whether the problem isseed production pest management genetic improvement or storage effectiveprojects must take the diversity imposed by place and by farming traditions asa starting point. In agriculture one size does not fit all.Notes of a Potato Watcher is a book that anyone interested in food crops andsmall farms will not want to miss a book that explains why the potato was notthe culprit in the Irish famine and a book that shows why solutions must beginat home. «