Today's Plants of Power

The global population is increasing faster and faster every year and feeding the population is a major issue. The most important plants nowadays are the crops that nourish the world. Wheat, rice and corn provide more than 50% of the world’s food energy. These three crops are staple food for most of the planet and are very promising for the future because of their high caloric contents. Together, wheat rice and corn account for 87% of all grain production worldwide. They are vital to the world and especially to the developing countries.

The Nutrition Facts of Corn, Wheat and Rice

http://www.healthaliciousness.com/nutritionfacts/nutrition-comparison.php?o=20015&t=20077&h=20060&s=76.00&e=58.00&r=118.00

Wheat is the most widely grown cereal grain and occupies 17% of the total cultivated land. It is the staple food of 35% of the world’s population and provides more calories and protein in the world than any other crop. Wheat is the primary cereal of temperate regions and is a staple of North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and much of the Middle East. The US produces about 10% of the world’s wheat but supplies 25% of the wheat exports. Wheat is not a very high yielding crop but it is very important as it provides food for developing countries. Asia plants more than half of the developing world’s wheat. It is also very important in eastern and southern Africa where wheat consumption has increased a lot. It can grow in dry and cold climates and is therefore the leading source of vegetable proteins for humans in the world.

Global Wheat Consumption and Production

http://www.tfreview.com/feature/commodities/uncertain-harvest-soft-commodities-update

Rice is mostly used for food consumption, which makes it a vital food crop for many people. About a fifth of all calories consumed by humans comes from rice. Asia produces and consumes 90% of the world’s rice. It is however also a staple food in Latin America and the Caribbean. Rice is one of the leading sources of protein for the poorest 20% of the tropical population and supplies more protein per person than milk, beans or beef. Rice is a source of energy, employment and income that about a million people in Latin America depend on. Besides demand for rice has grown by 6% every year in West Africa for the past 30 years. Rice is the primary cereal of tropical and some temperate regions. Billions of people rely on it, which makes it one of the most powerful plants in the world.  

Rice Consumption and Poverty

http://www.riice.org/about-riice/

Corn is very important too as it is the most produced grain in the world. Corn is a staple food for people in the Americas, Africa and for livestock worldwide. Corn or maize is the major crop produced in the US who is also the largest producer of corn in the world. It produces 34% of the world’s maize. In 2011, 84 million acres of corn were harvested which resulted in $63.9 billion from sales. The US exports about 20% of its corn production. Corn has over 500 uses and is a major component of our everyday lives but in the developing world, corn is vital to guarantee food security. About half of the developing world’s corn grows in Asia. In South Asia, 75% of the corn production is for food. Maize also accounts for more than 40% of total cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa where corn is used almost exclusively for food.

World Corn Consumption

http://www.thedairysite.com/articles/2135/us-feed-outlook-december-2009

Wheat, rice and corn are therefore the most important food crops of the 21^st century. They are essential to food security and if they were to disappear, a global famine would emerge causing the death of billions of people.

Relevant sites

http://www.agweb.com/virtual-wheat-tour/

http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/ag101/cropmajor.html

http://www.riice.org/about-riice/