RICE/CORN/POTATO – INTERNATIONAL PLANTS : BRIEF

HISTORY AND CURRENT EVOLUTION

• Rice is the staple food of Asia and part of the Pacific. Over 90 percent of the
world’s rice is produced and consumed in the Asia-Pacific Region. With growing
prosperity and urbanization, per capita rice consumption has started declining in
the middle and high-income Asian countries like the Republic of Korea and Japan.
But, nearly a fourth of the Asian population is still poor and has considerable
unmet demand for rice. It is in these countries that rice consumption will grow
faster. The Asian population is growing at 1.8 percent per year at present, and
population may not stabilize before the middle of the next century. A population
projection made for the year 2025 shows an average increase of 51 percent, and in
certain cases up to 87 percent over the base year 1995. So far the annual growth
rate for rice consumption in the Asia-Pacific Region over a period of 45 years (1950
to 1995) has kept pace with the demand, more through yield increase rather than
area expansion. Improved varieties have made a significant impact (Khush, 1995)
in an ever increasing order during this period. The world rice supply has more than
doubled from 261 million tonnes in 1950 (with Asian production of 240 million
tonnes) to 573 million tonnes in 1997 (including the region’s production of 524
million tonnes). Production has more than doubled overtaking the population
growth of nearly 1.6 times in Asia. A measure of this success is reflected by the
fall in the price of rice in the world markets.
 Rice is the staple food of Asia and part of the Pacific. Over 90 percent of
the world’s rice is produced and consumed in the Asia-Pacific Region. With
growing prosperity and urbanization, per capita rice consumption has
started declining in the middle and high-income Asian countries like the
Republic of Korea and Japan. But, nearly a fourth of the Asian population is
still poor and has considerable unmet demand for rice. It is in these
countries that rice consumption will grow faster. The Asian population is
growing at 1.8 percent per year at present, and population may not stabilize
before the middle of the next century. A population projection made for the
year 2025 shows an average increase of 51 percent, and in certain cases up
to 87 percent over the base year 1995. So far the annual growth rate for rice
consumption in the Asia-Pacific Region over a period of 45 years (1950 to
1995) has kept pace with the demand, more through yield increase rather
than area expansion. Improved varieties have made a significant impact
(Khush, 1995) in an ever increasing order during this period. The world rice
supply has more than doubled from 261 million tonnes in 1950 (with Asian
production of 240 million tonnes) to 573 million tonnes in 1997 (including
the region’s production of 524 million tonnes). Production has more than
doubled overtaking the population growth of nearly 1.6 times in Asia. A
measure of this success is reflected by the fall in the price of rice in the
world markets.
 Rice is the crop of the Asia-Pacific Region. The projected demand by the
year 2025 is mind boggling (Hossain, 1995), as in major Asian countries rice
consumption will increase faster than the population growth. In summary, in
Asia, the rice consumption by the year 2025, over the base year 1995, will
increase by more than 51 percent (Table 1). Another significant change will
be the development of many mega cities of the size of 10-15 million people
over and above the general urbanization of the populace. Thus, the number
of consumers will grow and the number of producers will be reduced
dramatically. The current demand of 524 million tonnes is expected to
increase to over 700 million tonnes. Rice will continue to supply 50-80
percent of the daily calories, and thus the average growth rate in production
has to keep pace with the growth rate of the population.
Depending on the location of rice, the socioeconomic perception of its
consumption can vary. In Asia, for instance, rice is consumed universally by both
the rich and the poor. Due to this unilateral consumption, it does not have such a
significant class connotation. Its consumption, however, varies drastically in
significance depending on economic status. Where the more wealthy individuals
enjoy rice as a dietary preference, 70% of Asia’s poor depend on rice as lifeline
for survival (Gulati & Narayanan, 2003).
 When potato plants bloom, they send up five-lobed flowers that spangle fields
like fat purple stars. By some accounts, Marie Antoinette liked the blossoms so
much that she put them in her hair. Her husband, Louis XVI, put one in his
buttonhole, inspiring a brief vogue in which the French aristocracy swanned
around with potato plants on their clothes. The flowers were part of an attempt
to persuade French farmers to plant and French diners to eat this strange new
species.
Today the potato is the fifth most important crop worldwide, after wheat,
corn, rice and sugar cane. But in the 18th century the tuber was a startling novelty,
frightening to some, bewildering to others—part of a global ecological convulsion
set off by Christopher Columbus.
Many researchers believe that the potato’s arrival in northern Europe spelled an end
to famine there. (Corn, another American crop, played a similar but smaller role in
southern Europe.) More than that, as the historian William H. McNeill has argued,
the potato led to empire: “By feeding rapidly growing populations, [it] permitted a
handful of European nations to assert dominion over most of the world between
1750 and 1950.” The potato, in other words, fueled the rise of the West.
 Wild potatoes are laced with solanine and tomatine, toxic compounds
believed to defend the plants against attacks from dangerous organisms like
fungi, bacteria and human beings. Cooking often breaks down such chemical
defenses, but solanine and tomatine are unaffected by heat. In the
mountains, guanaco and vicuña (wild relatives of the llama) lick clay before
eating poisonous plants. The toxins stick—more technically, “adsorb”—to the
fine clay particles in the animals’ stomachs, passing through the digestive
system without affecting it. Mimicking this process, mountain peoples
apparently learned to dunk wild potatoes in a “gravy” made of clay and
water. Eventually they bred less-toxic potatoes, though some of the old,
poisonous varieties remain, favored for their resistance to frost. Clay dust is
still sold in Peruvian and Bolivian markets to accompany them.
Potato is considered to be an indigenous crop of South America. In India its
cultivation started in the 17th century and soon it became a main vegeta­ble
crop of the country. Potato is a temperate crop and hence it is grown in
winter season (sowing between Septembers to December and harvesting
between Januarys to April). It is also grown as sum­mer crop in the hilly
regions of the country (only 5% of the total potato area). The crop requires
moderate temperature (11°C to 25°C), medium rainfall (40 cm to 150 cm)
and friable sandy loam soil.
 In terms of nutrition, the potato is best known for its carbohydrate content
(approximately 26 grams in a medium potato). The predominant form of this
carbohydrate is starch. A small but significant portion of this starch is resistant to
digestion by enzymes in the stomach and small intestine, and so reaches the
large intestine essentially intact. This resistant starch is considered to have
similar physiological effects and health benefits as fiber: It provides bulk, offers
protection against colon cancer, improves glucose tolerance and insulin
sensitivity, lowers plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, increases
satiety, and possibly even reduces fat storage (Cummings et al., 1996; Hylla et
al, 1998; Raben et al.,1994). The amount of resistant starch in potatoes depends
much on preparation methods. Cooking and then cooling potatoes significantly
increased resistant starch. For example, cooked potato starch contains about 7%
resistant starch, which increases to about 13% upon cooling (Englyst et al., 1992).
Almost all the protein content of a potato is contained in a thin layer just under
its skin (Brody, 1985).
Potato was introduced into Europe, first by the Spaniard to Spain in 1579, and
secondly to the England around 1590 from the Andean region of South America (Malik
1995). Thousands of varieties persist in the Andes, where over 100 cultivars might be
found in a single valley, and a dozen or more might be maintained by a single
agricultural household (Theisen, 2007). From these two places the potato spread to
rest of the world. Fifty years after its first introduction into Europe, Portuguese
traders brought the potato to the Indo-Pak subcontinent when they landed north of
Bombay. By 1675, the potato has already been established as garden plant in
Karnataka. The potato was said to have entered China from Dutch East India
(Indonesia). By the late
 Corn is the second most plentiful cereal grown for human consumption, and many
cultures around the world have lived on this grain. Corn is a versatile crop, and
everything on a corn plant is useable. No part of the corn is wasted. The husk of
the corn is traditionally used in making tamales. The kernels are ground into food.
The stalks become animal food and the corn silks are used for medicinal teas.
Food products made from corn include corn oil, corn meal, corn syrup and even
bourbon. The most important refined corn products are corn sweeteners, which last
year accounted for more than 56% of the national nutritive sweeteners market. One
cup of raw white corn has about 130 calories, 2 grams of fat, 5 grams of protein, 29
grams of carbohydrates and 4 grams of fiber with no cholesterol.
These “everyday things” are made with corn: protective sealing bands, gypsum
dry wall, warmish, spark plugs, adhesives, toothpaste, aspirin, diapers, coated paper
products and more. Scientists continue to find more uses for corn including fuel-
efficient tires, food and beverage containers, carpet tiles and candy wrappers.
Corn Facts
 An ear of corn averages 800 kernels in 16 rows.
 A pound of corn consists of approximately 1,300 kernels.
 100 bushels of corn products approximately 7,280,000 kernels.
 In the U.S., corn production measures more than 2 times any other crop.
 Each year, a single U.S. farmer provides food and fiber for 129 people – 97 in the
U.S. and 32 overseas
 Over 55% of Iowa’s corn goes to foreign markets. The rest is used in other parts of
the United States.
 Corn is regarded as one of the earliest human innovations. It was over first
domesticated over ten thousand years ago when man first learned to cross-pollinate
plants. However, with the changes in technology, man’s desire for corn keeps
increasing, which resulted in constant breeding of corn to satisfy global demand. Some
farmers have retained the traditional methods of breeding corn to fulfill their
requirements. Michael Pollan, in his book The Botany of Desire, discusses the
relationship between humans and the world of plants. Specifically, he focuses on the
explorations of corn by humans.
Corn remains a dominant plant in our culture. With an increased demand to feed the
growing population, maize remains the crop of focus for many countries. As a result,
man’s desire for corn has grown over the years. In a bid to show how corn has
dominated the human lives and culture, Pollan gives the example of chicken nuggets.
He avers that chicken nuggets consist of piles upon piles of corn, which indicates the
importance of crop in human life. Further, he argues that no other plant can surpass
the dominance of corn. Over forty-five thousand items that are found in American
supermarkets contain corn. Moreover, even animals in America feed on meals made
using corn.
Due to the influence of corn on human life, several manipulations were done on the
crop. The industrial production of corn to meet the increasing demands has destroyed
farms.
 As a student, my personal history and connection with corn are just like that of
Pollen. In my entire life, corn has been the dominant crop. Every meal that I have
contains element of corn in it. For instance, I have a habit of eating at McDonald’s
restaurants. Initially, I did not understand what the components of my food were;
however, after reading about the ingredients I found out that most of the products
sold by McDonald’s restaurants consisted of corn. On the other hand, I realized that
even the items found in the supermarkets that I bought on a daily basis comprised
of corn. My connection with corn seems to have started long before I even realized
it. Additionally, I found out that even the poultry food consists of corn.
Excessive consumption of corn is a result of certain illnesses, such as obesity.
Though America has always had a culture of maintaining a diet full of
carbohydrates, Pollan has a different opinion. He believes that the food of a nation
should not be dictated by past eating habits, but should instead depend on the
changes that occur daily. According to Pollan, the choice of meals consumed should
be every individual’s option. For instance, he goes against the conventional diet and
selects his diet comprising of mushrooms and wild boar meat, which is contrary to
the societal expectations. The question that Pollan poses is whether there is a
possibility of improving food production in America.
The evaluation regarding the importance of corn to the American society can
provide insight to other research efforts.
 STUDENT: IOANA ALEXANDRA RADU
STUDY GROUP: 8111
COORDINATING TEACHER: SUZANA CISMAS
 BIBLIOGRAPHY:

https://www.lathamseeds.com/2012/06/the-importance-of-corn/

https://anyfreepapers.com/free-essays/importance-of-corn.html

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-potato-changed-the-world-
108470605/

https://www.preservearticles.com/short-essays/short-essay-on-potato/20028

https://nursinganswers.net/essays/importance-of-the-potato-nursing-essay.php

https://www.fao.org/3/x6905e/x6905e04.htm

https://www.123helpme.com/essay/Rice-Essay-442740