Will Peruvian Potatoes Help Save the World?

After last Thursday's discussion about Super Size Me and the connection between obesity and nonfresh foods, our class came to an important agreement: Peruvians don't eat that often at fast food places like McDonald's because they prefer fresh foods prepared from scratch.

It was a refreshing change of pace for me, a U.S. citizen, to stand in front of a roomful of college students and hear many give the thumbs up to choclo and boiled potatoes, and a thumbs down to greasy french fries. Thank god young Peruvians have healthy eating habits.

It turns out that Peruvians' love of good food isn't just beneficial for them; it may be the key to safeguarding our planet's future food supplies.

The amazing variety of non-GMO (non genetically modified) potatoes that farmers have cultivated in the Andes for thousands of years are being applauded by scientists, reports CNN.

Andean potatoes can grow at different altitudes and in different temperatures, depending on the type. This diversity makes Peruvian potatotes ideal for coping with the shifts of climate change, which are intensifying throughout the world.

Read here about how Peru's farmers are being paid to nuture their special potatoes and how they may someday feed the world.

It's part of an effort by the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, whose website explains how the group is helping to preserve and promote agricultural diversity around the word. A video on the group's homepage shows farmers in the Andes working with different potato crops and talking about climate change.