Agenţia ONU pentru Alimentaţie şi Agricultură a anunţat că organizează o competiţie în cinstea anului Internaţional al cartofului. Acest eveniment are scopul de a evidenţia contribuţia acestei legume la rezolvarea problemei hranei în ţările în curs de dezvoltare. O relatare de Kate Poland:

Ascultaţi povestea

Boiled, baked, roasted or fried the potato is a versatile vegetable. It also produces nutritious food quicker and on less land than any other major crop. Which is why the FAO is promoting it.

It's calling for photographers around the world - amateur and professional - to focus on the humble spud's potential to feed more people. Although not generally regarded as particularly photogenic, the organisers say that the photographers who explore the world of the potato will find plenty of inspiration. And the best portraits will win up to four thousand dollars.

The potato was first cultivated by hunter-gatherers in the Andes thousands of years ago. After the Spanish conquest of Peru in the sixteenth century the tuber was brought to Europe where it was considered an exotic gift. By the nineteenth century it had become a staple across the continent.

It is a good source of energy and protein and a medium-sized potato provides half the recommended daily intake of vitamin C. As the global population increases and pressure on land and water in developing countries intensifies, the potato could just prove to be buried treasure.

Kate Poland, BBC

Ascultaţi cuvintele

versatile
versatil, poate fi utilizat în mai multe scopuri

nutritious food
alimente hrănitoare, care conţin multe vitamine

spud
o altă denumire în engleza britanică pentru cartof

photogenic
fotogenic

cultivated
cultivat, produs în cantităţi industriale

hunter-gatherers
un termen care se referă la oamenii din antichitate care obţineau hrană prin vânătoare şi cules de fructe.

the tuber
tubercul (de cartof)

an exotic gift
un cadou neobişnuit, exotic

a staple
un aliment de bază care este inclus în majoritatea meselor şi mâncat de majoritatea oamenilor (ex: pâine sau orez)

intensifies
se intensifică