Food Inequity
The restricted availability of food to communities globally.
Food Staples
A food staple is a food that makes up the dominant part of a population’s diet. Food staples are eaten regularly—even daily—and supply a major proportion of a person’s
energy
and
nutritional needs.Rice
Rice is a food staple for more than 1.6 billion people around the world, particularly in Asia, Latin America, and parts of Africa. Rice has been cultivated in Asia for thousands of years. Rice grows in warm, wet climates. It thrives in waterlogged soil, such as in the flood plains of Asian rivers such as the Ganges and the Mekong. “Floating rice” is a variety of rice that is adapted to deep flooding, and is grown in eastern Pakistan, Vietnam, and Burma.
Corn (Maize)
Corn, known outside the United States as maize, is native to Central America, where it was domesticated by theAztecs and Mayans. Corn remains the most widely grown crop in the Americas today. Corn is used in a variety of ways, and can be stored relatively easily. This is why it is such a popular food staple.
Wheat
Wheat was first domesticated in the Middle East, in the area known as the Cradle of Civilization near what is now Iraq. Domesticating this reliable, versatile staple food was key to the development of agriculture.
Wheat grows well in temperate climates, even those with a short growing season.
Wheat grows well in temperate climates, even those with a short growing season.