Tag: Staple crops

According to a 2019 study, cassava was a major subsistence crop in several regions, with 812,000 tons produced in 1999 alone. A key example of a subsistence food is cassava, a starchy root vegetable that is cultivated by millions of small-scale farmers to feed their families and communities.

Experts estimate that while there are between 20,000 and 30,000 plant species considered edible by humans, we regularly consume only a tiny fraction of them. This stark reality is key to understanding how many edible plants do humans eat and the reliance on a limited global food basket.

Smallholder farmers, often operating on less than two hectares of land, produce approximately one-third of the world's food supply, despite managing only a fraction of the planet’s agricultural land. However, the vast majority of food for urban populations is sourced from a complex, interconnected global food system dominated by large-scale industrial farming and distribution.

Over 60% of the world's food energy is supplied by a handful of major crops, revealing that the answer to where does the most of our food come from is a complex web of global production and trade, rather than exclusively local sources. This globalized system is dominated by large-scale farming in specific regions that feed a planet of billions.

Based on global production weight, sugarcane and maize are the top two most-produced crops, far surpassing others. The answer to what is the most abundant food in the world, however, depends heavily on how you measure abundance: by total tonnage, caloric value, or prevalence as a human staple.

Over half of the world's population depends on just three staple crops for the majority of their daily caloric intake. These few food sources, despite the existence of over 50,000 edible plant species, form the backbone of global nutrition and agricultural systems.

Potatoes can yield up to 17.8 million calories per acre, making them one of the most efficient staple crops for energy production. However, the 'best' crop for calories depends on numerous factors, including climate, soil type, and specific nutritional needs. This guide explores a variety of high-calorie options to help you maximize your food production.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), China is the world's leading producer and consumer of sweet potatoes, accounting for a vast majority of the global total. The answer to what culture eats the most sweet potatoes is complex, as it includes not only sheer volume but also the deep cultural integration of this nutritious root vegetable in various cuisines around the world, particularly across Asia and Africa.

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 250 million preschool children are affected by vitamin A deficiency globally, and golden rice was developed to combat this issue. So, how is golden rice different from normal rice, a staple food for half the world's population? The primary difference is that golden rice is genetically engineered to produce beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A, which normal rice lacks.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a very small number of crops provide the majority of the world's calories, with only 15 plant crops providing 90% of the world's food energy intake. The four crops that are the main sources of calories for most humans are rice, wheat, maize (corn), and potatoes. These staples form the foundation of diets for billions of people across the globe, providing essential energy and nutrients.