The Potato article was most interesting. I had no idea that a diet of potatoes and milk provides all essential nutrients, or that the Irish population doubled due to the introduction of the potato and the rich nutrients it provided to the peasantry.
Yes it is. Demographics is destiny, and food production was until recently the engine of demographic change. If you look at that map you'll see where there was more food production, and thus population growth. From the population growth in Northern Europe you'll a prime mover of the history of the 20th Century.
You have to subscribe to the site to get the second part of the article, I am not a subscriber, so I haven't seen the second article.