A world photography contest to highlight the role of the potato as a source of food, employment and income in developing countries was launched in Rome Wednesday by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The contest was held in conjunction with the U.N.'s International Year of the Potato (IYP) in 2008, the FAO said in a press release.

The IYP aims to raise global awareness of the potato's key contribution to agriculture, the economy and world food security, as well as to foster potato-based food systems to help countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

The IYP World Photography Contest, entitled "Focus on a global food," invited photographers to capture the spirit of the international year in images that illustrate potato biodiversity, cultivation, processing, trade, marketing, consumption and utilization, according to the FAO.

"The potato is the world's number four food crop, after rice, wheat and maize, with an annual production of more than 300 million tons," said NeBambi Lutaladio, the IYP coordinator.

"It is grown in more than 100 countries, from the Andes and China's Yunnan plateau to the subtropical lowlands of India, on the plains of northern Europe and the steppes of the Ukraine. Photographers who explore the world of the potato will find plenty of subject matter," said Lutaladio.

The winning photographs will be selected by a panel that includes some of the world's leading photographers.