Photo: marirs (flickr)

The potato has been making headlines recently, and the gist of all the stories is that we are not to be taking this celebrated spud for granted.

In Peru, where the potato originated, cultural identity is interwoven with this root vegetable. "Potato is not just food. Potato is also spirituality; it's culture," one Peruvian told National Public Radio. "There are songs, dances, ceremonies. So this is a potato land … a culture of potato."

The potato may be in for some rough times ahead, though, as climate change and unpredictable weather create conditions that may allow for diseases and growing problems never before seen in this region.

The Economist links the potato to the growth of free trade in 19th century Britain. Even today, it claims in a recent exposé, "potatoes are now an icon of globalisation."

Declaring 2008 the "International Year of the Potato", the United Nations is working hard to remind us all about this tuber’s higher merits. UN experts emphasize the potato’s value as a prospective solution to poverty, hunger and economic security issues.

All that potential, in just one little vegetable? We would never have guessed....

Lucy Conger's story "The Big-Country Enigma" examines why micro-credit has flourished in smaller countries like Peru and Bolivia while remaining somewhat small in scale in countries such as Brazil.

Does both over and under government regulation stand in the way to microfinance?