What is the world's number one staple food?

Answer 1

Rice

• Rice is the world's number one staple food and feeds half the world's population.
• 91% of the world's rice is grown and consumed in Asia.
• Rice provides people 35% to 80% of the calorie intake. 3.3 billion people in Asia, including China, Thailand, India and Indonesia also consume it.

Wheat

• Wheat is the world's second most popular staple food.
• It is mostly consumed in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
• The Middle East and North Africa rely heavily on imported wheat, as their wheat consumption exceeds 50% of wheat production.

Maize

• Maize is the world's third most popular staple food.
• It is mainly grown and consumed in Sub-Saharan Africa, southern China and Latin America. The top producers by continent are USA, China, Brazil and South Africa.

Barley

• Barley is grown in cool and dry climates.
• It is typically grown and consumed by poor farmers in Tibet, Nepal, Ethiopia and the Andes (South America) as well as in many areas of North Africa, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Eritrea and Yemen.
• It is also commonly used to feed livestock.

2.5 Millet

• Millet is a collective term for small seeded grasses. It is grown as staple food.
• It grows well in arid and semi-arid environments.
• It is grown in developing countries in South Asia and Africa-north of the equator.

Cassava

• Cassava is a shrub that produces edible tuberous roots.
• Its leaves are rich in vitamins A and B.
• It is grown and consumed in Central and South America, India, West Africa and parts of Asia.
• The biggest cassava producers are Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Thailand and Indonesia.

Potatoes

• Three billion people around the world consume potatoes.
• In fable, potato is originated in Peru. It was then brought to Europe and it has become a significant source of calorie for the region.

2.8 Yam

• A thick tropical tuber similar to sweet potato. The colour of the skin varies from off-white to dark brown, while the flesh may be off-white, yellow, purple or pink.
• It is a major agricultural commodity and also a source of food in Guinea and West Africa, Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.
• It is also a staple food in India, Southern Vietnam and South Pacific Islands.

Banana

• Bananas are a staple crop and food in East Africa, where the average annual production is 200kg per capita.
• Banana leaves can be used as medicine, for wrapping food, roof thatching and clothing.