‘Many a times introduction of new crops make the difference between life and death’. Explain the statement with the example of introduction of potato crop in Europe.
Various examples are given below in order to understand the statement clearly
(i) Many of our common foods like potatoes, soya, groundnuts, maize, tomatoes, chillies, sweet potatoes were not known to our ancestors till five centuries ago. These foods were introduced in Europe and Asia after America was discovered.
(ii) Europe’s poor began to eat better and live longer with the introduction of the potatoes.
(iii) Ireland’s poorest peasants were so dependent on potatoes that during the Great Irish Potato Famine (1845-1849), around 1000000 people died of starvation in Ireland and double the number emigrated in search of work.