where does our food come from? georgia davis mupgret workshop june 15, 2004
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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.