Tropical and subtropical countries have climatic conditions which are unfavourable for the production of wheat. These countries are therefore heavily dependent on wheat imports to provide staple food products for their populations (FAO; Byerlee, 1987 1-2). In 1960 the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) began a Composite Flour Programme aimed at empowering developing nations with the technology to improve their country’s food security. Composite flour is a mixture of flours from cereals and root tubers. Flour from ground legumes such as soya bean may also be added to increase the protein content of the composite flour. Wheat is often the cereal incorporated in the mixture but cereals such as maize, rice, buckwheat and millet can also be utilized (Popper, 2006).
Root crops are the edible energy–rich underground plant structures developed from modified roots. While tuber crops are those crops in which the edible carbohydrate – rich storage organs develop wholly or partly from underground stems (Okigbo 1989). Root crops and tuber crops are important in Sub Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Some of the major root tubers crops grown are cassava, yams, sweet potatoes and taro (dasheen). Flour made from the root crops can be partially substituted for wheat flour in the production of bread, cakes and pastries (Arenillo et al, 2012; Mongi et al, 2011; Okorie and Onyeneke, 2012;Rangel et al, 2011; Njintang et al 2008).
Colocasia esculenta (L.) originated in the tropical region that spans from India to Indonesia and is now widely grown in Africa, Asia, the Pacific Region and the Caribbean (Matthews 2004, 55-71). The root crop is commonly known as dashen in the Caribbean. It was originally bro...
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... 2013. http://slaverebellion.org/index.php?page=african-contribution-to-american-culture
Titus, Pathleen, and Bradley Georges. 2013. Caribbean Publication #15 - HQ/032/12 Policies and developmental initiatives required to strengthen the Roots and Tubers (RT) and Protected Agriculture (PA) Industries in the. Trinidad: CARDI. Assessed November 28, 2013. http://www.cardi.org/cfc-pa/files/downloads/2013/04/Publ-10-PA-RT-VCs-Titus-BG-merged.pdf
Tobago News. 2013. “Tobago Blue Food Festival 2013: Celebrating 15 Years.” The Tobago News, October 20. Accessed November 22, 2013. http://www.thetobagonews.com/news/Tobago--Blue-Food-Festival-2013--Celebrating-15-Years-228522911.html
Popper, Lutz, ed. 2006. Future of Flour: A Compendium of Flour Improvement. Christchurch: AgriMedia. Assessed November 11, 2013. http://www.muehlenchemie.de/english/know-how/future-of-flour.html
McIlroy, R.J. 1963. An introduction to tropical cash crops. Ibadan University Press, Nigeria. 163 pp.
policy (Food Security, Food Justice) to production (Biodiversity, Market Value) and are, therefore, excellent reference chapters
The broad range of topographical elevations has encouraged agricultural expansion whose diverse production of food constitutes an important part of the Colombian economy. The agricultural sector contributed 14% of GDP, excluding coffee, with a production worth almost 11 billion US. In the hot lowlands of the Caribbean heartland, the inter-montages valleys, and the savannas of Orinoquia, there are immense plantations of bananas, sugar cane, rice, cotton, soybeans and sorghum, and large cattle farms that produce meat and dairy products. (Sited Dennis Hanratty)
Over the years food has changed from more natural occurring products to quick and easily accessible ones. I for one blame the companies who accept and encourage this. From the previous essay, it also provides a series of questions for which we should be analyzing our food: “How fresh is it? How far was it transported? How pure or clean is it?” (Berry). Simply, we need to be more aware about our food. Food used to be only grown. There was no way
Corn is a high commodity in the U.S; our ham, eggs and pancakes for breakfast, California BLT at lunch, or double cheese hamburger for dinner were all produced with U.S. Cor...
Thesis: Genetically modified organisms have the potential to benefit the field of agriculture as they are continuing to make advancements that should not be hindered. GMO foods should be supported because they are safer, since they utilize fewer herbicides and pesticides, produce larger yields that can reduce world poverty, and can help fight vitamin deficiencies and malnutrition.
In order to fully understand the research done in the article, one must be familiar with general plant morphology. Plant morphology basically means the structure of the plant and in our case, the form of corn plants. First off, all plants consist of three different parts: roots, stems and leaves. However, it should be remembered that even though all plants may consist of these three parts, this does not mean that the stems, leaves, and roots of each plant will look the same as the next. Therefore, this should also be noted when viewing Zea Mays plants as well; not all corn plants are going to look the same. We can show this by comparing the physical differences of maize and teosinte. Modern maize presents itself with a single primary shoot which is a stem with all of its leaves, whereas teosinte presents itself with many lateral branches that have their own sets of leaves attached to them. Another major difference is that Teosinte’s fruit (the individual kernels) is enclosed within a stony...
While superfine flour was produced in merchant flour mills, it was mostly used for delicacies or for exportation purposes (Cowan 47). Since fine, white flour is non-perishable, it was extremely profitable for merchant flour mills to reserve all of their superfine flour for the war-torn European continent. As a result, coarse flour was often ground by Americans in their homes or at local grist mills, because fine, white flour could not be produced at the home or in large quantities at local grist mills (Cowan 49). As a result, it was necessary for the father or the male of the household to make trips to a local grist mill or to hand-grind these grains into flour or cornmeal. While the processing of grains may appear to be a simple task, the perishability of coarse flour and cornmeal made grinding grain a never-ending chore.
According to scientists, genetically engineering crops contributes to their quality. Crops that have been genetically modified to have a particular trait can decrease the amount of herbicides needed for growing that crop. Additionally, genetically modified (GM) crops can help third world countries, where malnutrition is common. For example, to help diminish nutrient deficiencies in developing countries, “plans were underway to develop a golden rice that also has increased iron content”(Whitman 2). In addition, GM crops can be modified to be able to “withstand the environmental challenges of drought, disease, and insect infestation” (Swenson 1). Growing GM crops can also result in fruits and vegetables that stay fresh for a prolonged period of time and taste better.
When the Europeans arrived, it was further known to have been grown from Southern Mexico to Bolivia in the Latin America. Only during the 19th century, it spread widely throughout the tropical world. Currently, it is cultivated in tropical and subtropical zones, between latitudes 30⁰ North and 15⁰ South. The main areas of distribution of the crop include the Caribbean (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, West Indies), Central and South America; USA (Florida, Hawaii), West Africa (Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo), and tropical Asia ( Indonesia, Malaysia, the South Pacific Islands) (Perez, 2010).
Wheat is defined as the most crucial crops among the cereal products worldwide and the staple food of many consumers (FAO, 2009). The valuable components of the wheat grain are carbohydrate (72%), protein (12%), moisture (13%), fat (1%), fibre (12.2%), minerals and vitamins (2%) (Lean, 2006). The endosperm, germ, and bran, the three components of wheat grain, consist mostly of starch and proteins, lipids and proteins, and dietary fibre respectively (Marquart, Jacobs, McIntosh, Reicks and Poutanen, 2007).
Wheat makes up about 20% of a daily human diet. It is highly nutritious, providing fiber, energy, and oils which are a necessity for productivity and efficiency in this fast-paced world. What creates the problem is that about 95% of wheat is refined, and the healthiest parts, bran and germ, are removed, leaving unhealthy white flour. The bran and the germ help digest gluten, but if gluten remains, it attaches to the lining of the stomach and slowly deteriorates is protective coating
Potato is one of the most nutritious and commonly edible foods in our society today. But there is a fascinating story of how Potato came to be widely consumed today around the world today. Potato also known as Solanum Tuberosum for its scientific identification was a wild plant. It was first domesticated in 10,000 BCE around the Lake Titicaca basin in the Andes region by the farmers. This region was not the best for agriculture because of the terrain but Potato rose to the occasion to become the most dominant food. Potteries of the Andean civilization depicted Potato as the chief crop. This region is in present day Southern Peru and Northwest Bolivia. The warm summer days enhanced the growth of plants and cold nights improved the growth of tubers; hence Potato was able to survive in this region. The farmers with their trial and error method figured that Potato can be bred through its seed. The seed of a Potato produce different fruits with varying sizes and color. The most significant of the domesticated Potato by the Andes farmers was the Solanum Tuberosum Andigena. This Potato had large tubers, well rounded and can grow only near the equator. Pre-Columbian population grew over 200 different types of Potato, making this plant few of the widely domesticated foods worldwide. The planting of Potato occurred at different elevations which enabled Andean farmers to plant and harvest it all through the year. Indigenous people of South America preserved Potato and stored it in case of a famine. The cold dry climate of the Andes region made this long-time preservation possible. The process involved covering of already harvested Potatoes from mist and leaving them in the cold night. The next day with sunshine on the Pota...
Suarez, Danilo. "The Plight of Coconut Farmers." Manila Standard Today 28 May 2013, n. pag. Web.
People have depended on agriculture for years as the primary source of getting food. We have developed all kinds of ways to manipulate nature so what we can produce higher yield crops, more nutritious crops, bigger crops, crops that withstand cold, and farming equipment that allows us to manufacture these crops with relative ease. Why then are there five billion people being malnourished and forty thousand children dying each day from hunger? It seems as though world hunger is more a result of the lack of distributing the food properly than the lack of quantity. agriculture has turned into a high profit business and biotech companies like Monsanto are constantly trying to come up with better and more efficient ways of farming. Are they doing this to try to solve the world hunger crisis, or merely to make a profit?