2008 International Year of the Potato Lyrics

2008 - International Year of the Potato

February 11, 2008

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Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight! I'm Liz Waid.

Voice 2

And I'm Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of
broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in
the world they live.

Voice 1

It all began in November, 2005. The Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations met together. This group works to defeat hunger in
every part of the world. At the meeting, the Permanent Representative of
Peru proposed an idea. He wanted the world to know more about a special
food. He believed this food could provide food security and help to stop
poverty. He suggested that the United Nations devote a whole year to
this amazing vegetable.

Voice 2

By December of that year, officials agreed to the Peru Representative's
request. The year 2008 would be a year devoted to ... potatoes! January
1 2008, marked the beginning of the International Year of the Potato.
Have you noticed more potatoes this year than last year? The United
Nations hopes that by the end of 2008, you will know more about how this
special food can change the world.

Voice 1

Today's Spotlight is on 2008 - the International Year of the Potato.

Voice 2

The potatoes we eat are a part of the root of the potato plant. These
roots grow into the round shaped tubers we eat. There are thousands of
different kinds of potatoes throughout the world. They come in many
sizes, shapes and colours. Potatoes contain many good substances
people's bodies need to work. For example, potatoes are high in
carbohydrates. Carbohydrates provide the human body with energy.

Voice 1

The United Nations believes this simple food could change people's lives
around the world. How? Well, first, potatoes can grow in many places
worldwide. Experts believe that people first ate potatoes about eight
thousand [8,000] years ago. The food began in areas of South America. By
the 1500's, explorers there brought potatoes back to Europe. They spread
quickly! And today, people grow potatoes in about one hundred [100]
countries - including China and India. In fact, potatoes are the world's
fourth largest food crop. The United Nations estimates that in 2006,
growers around the world produced almost three hundred fifteen million
[315,000,000] tonnes of potatoes!

Voice 2

And experts believe potatoes are becoming a very important crop for
developing countries. For many years, developed countries produced and
used the largest crops of potatoes. But in 2005, for the first time,
developing countries produced and used more potatoes than developed
countries. Today, China is the largest potato producer.

Voice 1

Second, the UN believes potatoes are so important because potatoes can
feed the hungry. Many people in the world do not get enough to eat. This
can be especially true of people living outside cities. Lack of food
leads to poor general health.

Voice 2

It can be difficult to get food to hungry people. The United Nations
says that many hungry communities may have enough workers, but they may
be poor or not have enough land to work on. But the potato is a perfect
crop for these conditions!

Voice 1

We know that potatoes can grow in many different places. But potato
plants are also able to succeed where other plants cannot. Potato plants
grow quickly. They do not use a lot of land. And potato plants can grow
in severe climates better than other crops can. Because of these things,
experts believe that potatoes can help stop poverty in many communities.

Voice 2

Potatoes also produce more food than other crops do. The UN says
eighty-five [85] percent of the potato plant is food that people can
eat. Other crops do not produce that much. People can only eat about
fifty [50] percent of grain crops. What remains is waste.

Voice 1

So, potatoes can grow many places worldwide. And they can feed the
hungry. But they are also very healthy for people to eat! That is the
third reason the UN wants people to know more about potatoes.

Voice 2

As we said before, potatoes are full of carbohydrates. This makes them a
good source of energy. But they are also a good source of protein.
People can eat many kinds of tubers, similar to potatoes. But potatoes
have more protein than these other kinds of roots or tubers. Potatoes
also contain vitamin C and potassium. These substances are also
necessary for a healthy body.

Voice 1

Finally, the UN wants people to know more about potatoes because demand
for these vegetables is growing! The UN has noticed a pattern in
worldwide production of potatoes. In the last ten years world potato
production has continued to increase. There seems to be no sign that
this will change.

Voice 2

You can see why the United Nations would want to devote a year to this
amazing food! Through the year 2008, the International Year of the
Potato, or IYP, has set some goals. First, IYP wants to give people more
information about potatoes.

Voice 1

Second, the IYP wants to show people how potatoes can reach the
Millennium Development Goals. The United Nations created these goals to
improve life for all people in the world. All the world's countries have
agreed to reach these goals by the year 2015. Particularly, the UN
believes potatoes can help stop extreme poverty and hunger. This is one
of the Millennium Development Goals. Another is to make sure the world's
environment stays safe. They believe potato plants are not damaging to
the environment.

Voice 2

Finally, in the year 2008, the International Year of the Potato wants to
encourage people everywhere to share information about potato
production. There are many ways to grow plants better. IYP hopes that
communities can share information like this. They hope that people can
work together to feed the hungry. Everyone can benefit from this knowledge!

Voice 1

The IYP will celebrate the year of the potato in many different ways.
They will organize activities that people in particular communities or
worldwide can be involved in. Governments, Farmer a__ociations, the Food
and Agriculture Organization, and many others will also be involved.

Voice 2

At Spotlight, we will celebrate the IYP by bringing you more information
about events and information about potatoes through the year. Keep
listening to find out how people all over the world will be celebrating
this year and thinking about the potato.

Voice 1

There is only one question left. How will /you/ celebrate the
International Year of the Potato?

Voice 2

The writer and producer of today's program was Liz Waid. The voices you
heard were from the United States. Computer users can hear our programs,
read our scripts, and see our word list on our website at
of the Potato."

Voice 1

If you have comments or questions about this program, you can email us.
Our email address is radio @ english . net. We hope you can join us
again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye!