Agricultural Economics: Food Crops


Figure 1.--Wheat ws developed as a crop in the Middl-East and was the basis for the development of civiuization. The opening of the Great Plains in the mid-19th century significantly increased grain production, primarily corn and wheat. This snapshot looks to have been taken about 1910. It was found in an old Iowa photo album. Two farmers, and two boys standing in a wheat field. Info recorded on back in pencil. "This is Mr Slater's wheat about 5 miles south of Moscow on Main street road he has not threshed it yet. I suppose you know all but one it is Mr Slater." The huge potential of grain farms in the United States and Canada played a major role in the Allied victories during World War I and World War II. The huge agricultur potential of the East was central to Hitler's strategic outlook leading to World War II.

Grains were the most important agricultural crops. All the great River Valley civilizations were based on farming grain. Wheat was developed in the Middle East The domestication of wheat was magor step in the Agricultural Revolution that resulted in the birth of civilization. Wheat became the major crop in the Middle-East and Europe. It was wellsuited for the Mediterranean climate, but less so for northern Europe. Cultural trends meant that farmers in norther Europe tried to groiw wheat, but encountered periodic crop failiures because of climatic and weather events. This limited popultion growth in nothern Europe. It was also a factor in the Viking outburst (10th century AD). Rice predominated in China and the surrounding areas influenced by Chinese culture. A rare exception to the focus on grain was the Native American civilizations of the Andes. They developed the potato as a major food crop. Native Americans in the north developed another grain--maize or corn. And with Cortez's conquest of the Aztecs and Pizzarro's conquest of the Incas, corn and the potato were introduced to Europe (16th century). While little noted at the time, the potato had a profound impact on European society including making the industrial revolution possible. The potato solved the agricultural problem of northern Europe. Farmers could harvest far greater quantities of food per acre planting potatoes than any other crop. And with farners growing both whear=t and potatos, a catstrophic crop failure was less likely. Corn was also important. The result was substantial population growth (17th century). The population of European countries were quite small until the arrival of the potato. Adding potatoes to farm crops substantially increased the population throughout Europe. It also meant that smaller agricultural work forces could support urban populations. This was an important factor in the industrial Revolution (18th centuries). The opening of the Great Plains in North America as well as other areas such as Australia and Argentina greatly expanded grain production in the 19th century.

Wheat

Grains were the most important agricultural crops. All the great River Valley civilizations were based on farming grain. Wheat appears to have been the first cereals grain to have been domesticated. Its ability to self-pollinate was a major factor in the the selection of many distinct domesticated varieties suitabke for varying climates, especially water requirements. Wheat as a an agricultural crop was developed in the Middle East The domestication of wheat was magor step in the Agricultural Revolution that resulted in the birth of civilization. Wheat became the major crop in the Middle-East and Europe. It was wellsuited for the Mediterranean climate, but less so for the less benign climate of northern Europe. Cultural trends meant that farmers in norther Europe tried to grow wheat, but encountered periodic crop failiures because of climatic and weather events. This limited popultion growth in nothern Europe. It was also a factor in the Viking outburst (10th century AD). The European discovery of the Americas fundamentally changed European history. Wheat continued to be an important crop and food item, but the introduction of the potato from the Americas significanly increased food production in northern Europe. The opening of the Great Plains in North America as well as other areas such as Australia and Argentina greatly expanded grain production in the 19th century.

Rice

Rice predominated in China.

Corn

The Native Americans were still in the stone age when the Europeans arrived, but they had developed two crops that would profoundly reshape European society. One was the potato. The other was corn. It was a crop developed in the Central Valley of Mexico sometime around 5,000 BC and spread thrrougout North and South America to be grown by most native American people. The Maya even called themselves the "Corn People". While the Spanish were after gold, these two crops have had an infintely greater economic impact. Corn became a staple in Western Europe and even more so in the United States. Americans have thought little about corn until the ethenol craze of the early 2000s, but in fact corn was the central crop of American agriculture. Not only were many foods made from corn, but corn was used as not only a feed stock for animal rearing, but a wide range of industrial products. One estimate suggest that American super markets stock about 45,000 different items and about 25 percent of those items contain corn in one form or another.

Potato

A rare exception to the focus on grain was the Native American civilizations of the Andes. They developed the potato as a major food crop. While little noted at the time, the potato had a profound impact on European society including making the industrial revolution possible. The potato solved the agricultural problem of northern Europe. Farmers could harvest far greater quantities of food per acre planting potatoes than any other crop. And with farners growing both wheat and potatos, a catrastrophhic crop failure was less likely. Corn was also important. The result was substantial population growth (17th century). The population of European countries were quite small until the arrival of the potato. Adding potatos to farm crops substantially increased the population throughout Europe. It also meant that smaller agricultural work forces could support urban populations. This was an important factor in the industrial Revolution (18th centuries).

Sugar

Sugar is not needed for proper nutition, but for some reason man is geneticall programed to seek out sugar. It is one of the five tastes (sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and umami (savory or mearty) that human taste buds detect. Sugar is found in small quantities in many foods. Man was not gentically engineered to consume large quantities of sugar. And doing so in our modern world has caused all kinds of health problems. For most of human existence, this is how sugar was ingested, supplement by occassion bee hive finds. It was the Polynesians who are believed to have discovered sugarcane. Indian traders operating in Polynsia brought ti back to India where processes for manufacturing refined sugar were first developed. When the Persian Emperor Darius invaded northwestern India (6th century BC), the Persians encountered sugar bringing it further west. The Arab Islamic outburst resulted in the creation of a vast empire--the Caliphate (7th century AD). The Arabs encountered sugr in Persia and spread it througout their empire as far west as Spain. It was during the Crusades, however, that European elites first became aware of sugar. The Arabs continued to control the sugar trade for several centuries after the First Crusade. The word surgar (azucar in Spanish) is of Arab origins. Arab control meant that quantities were limited in Europe ad hugely expensive. Only a few areas in Europe were suitble for growinging sugar cane. This changed with Colunbus' discovery of the Americas ad the colonization of huge areas in the tropical zone that were suitable for growing cane. This set in motion both a sugar boom and the Atlantic slave trade. Large scale production began in Brazil (17th century), but soon spread to the Caribbean. The European sweet tooth made tiny Caribbean islabds some of the most valuable realestate in the world.









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Created: 8:43 PM 2/16/2010
Last updated: 10:59 PM 9/30/2012