How Potatoes Changed the World

Potatoes may just seem like modest vegetables that taste great fried and mashed. But, these spuds have played a massive role in the history of mankind – agriculturally, economically, and politically. So let’s read on about the history of potatoes.

In the beginning.

Many people think of Ireland as the origin place of potatoes, but they were first cultivated in the Andes mountains around 8,000 BC to 5,000 BC and were a staple of Native American diets and agriculture for centuries. Not until the late 1500s when Spanish explorers were introduced to potatoes did they start to make their way to Europe – starting in France and the Netherlands, then spreading around to Europe and Asia.

Changing agriculture

Potatoes allowed farmers to grow more crops on less land. They are hearty, and more reliable than most crops and require less water to grow. This increased the amount of money farmers were able to earn and nearly doubled Europe’s food supply.

Less hunger

In the centuries before potatoes arrived in Europe, many famines occurred and populations would increase and decrease with the seasons, especially during long winters when food was more scarce.

After the arrival of potatoes, overall food supply increased along with better nutrition, which allowed communities to grow. The population of most European countries doubled within 100 years of the potato’s arrival after not changing much in the previous 700 years.

Fewer wars

Well-fed, wealthy countries are less likely to go to war than poor, starving countries. With more people fed, lower land cost, and more consistent taxes paid, governments become more stable and fewer conflicts over land occured. The National Bureau of Economic Research stated that in the 16th and 17th centuries, conflict decreased by 15 percent in areas that could more easily grow potatoes.

A humble hero

Potatoes are the fifth most important crop worldwide, after wheat, corn, rice and sugarcane. While these spuds can’t save the world, they’ve gone a long way to make lives better on a global scale. That’s why a little spud has developed such a history of potatoes!