USA: Potato is healthy, inexpensive, climate friendly

It's different in other places, especially in low-income countries. Potatoes are usually prepared simply and eaten as one part of a dish with other vegetables. Potatoes are rich in vitamin C and other vitamins and minerals; add fiber; and have no fat. They can be and are part of a balanced, nutritious diet. Furthermore, potatoes are very climate friendly. This is largely due to extremely high yield. In 2022, US farmers harvested over 44,000 pounds of potatoes per acre, or over 15 million calories. While similar to corn, this yield is achieved using far less water and fewer fertilizers and pesticides. This makes potatoes relatively inexpensive to produce. Low production costs translate into lower selling prices. This is important in low-income countries in which food security is a pressing issue. For all these reasons, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has advocated doubling global potato production by 2030. Given the low water and other input requirements, potatoes ...