Did you know that the potato comes from Peru? The humble crop was cultivated during the Inca Empire and for thousands of years before.

In the 1500’s when Spanish conquistadors arrived, they encountered the potato and brought it to Europe.

Today it’s grown almost everywhere and considered a top food staple along with rice, corn and wheat.

Correspondent Dan Collyns traveled to Potato Park in the Sacred Valley of the Incas to get the lowdown on this versatile vegetable.

By the year 2050, the global population is expected to exceed 9 billion people. That means food production will need to grow by an additional 70 percent. Scientists and researchers are looking into new varieties of potatoes as one way to fulfill that demand.