Where does our food come from?

Georgia DavisMUPGRET Workshop

June 15, 2004

Centers of Origin

Map from modified from WorldAtlas.com

Mexico/C. AmericaMexico/C. America

Andes/Brazil/Paraguay

MediterraneanTurkey/Iran

Ethopia

India

China

SE Asia

Mexico/Central America

Maize Tomato Common bean Sweet potato

Andes/Brazil/Paraguay

Peppers Potato Rubber Pumpkin Cassava

Mediterranean

Almonds Cabbage Olives Beet Lettuce Asparagus

Turkey/Iran

Wheat Barley Oat Figs Lentil

India

Cucumbers Eggplant Pigeonpea Pea Onion Garlic Carrot

China

Soybean Chinese cabbages

Southeast Asia

Coconut Rice Sugarcane

Ethopian

Cowpea Okra

GRIN

Germplasm resource information network

USDA, ARS http://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/

Indigenous Crops

There are very few crop plants that are indigenous to the US.

Most are not things we’d commonly think of….

Indigenous crops Blueberry Cranberry Jerusalem artichoke Pecan Black walnut Sunflower Ginseng Strawberry

Beech Hickory Chestnut Wild rice

Indigenous Crops

Ginseng

Plants are used for: Food Animal feed Fiber Pharmaceuticals Recreation Oxygen

production

Building materials Fuel Aesthetics Spice/seasoning Erosion control

Black walnut

Wood used for cabinet making and in gunstock

Sap can be boiled into syrup and sugar

Bark used for tanning Nut husk is a dye Oxygen Shade

A day without plants Our clothes would be synthetics like

polyester or spandex. We would breathe from an oxygen

tank. We would live in a mud hut or a

metal building. We would not have cars or bicycles.

A day without plants

What would we eat? Most animals eat plants or other

animals that eat plants. Many insects require plants to

survive.

Some interesting ideas for students

Write an essay or a journal describing a person’s daily activity in a world without plants.

Assign each student a plant and ask them to write a paper describing all of the things we use each day that come from that plant.

More ideas for students

Assign a plant to the class or to individual students. Ask them to describe how their life would change if that plant no longer existed.

For example what would happen if, perish the thought, there was no corn?

More student ideas Ask the students to say which states

would be economically affected by the absence of a major crop. The Agriculture in the Classroom

webcite could be helpful here. Have the students each make a log

of the food they eat for one day. Then ask them to list all of the plants that contributed to their meals.