University:
Amherst College
Course:
BIOL 104 | Food, Fiber, and Pharmaceuticals
Academic year:

2022
Views:

242

Pages:

19
Author:

zifile3t0

Can Africa Escape the Maize?: A Look Into the History of How One Crop Changed the Diet of an Entire Continent General Outline I. Refresher – Origin – Types – Cultivation – Dispersal – Uses II. Africa – Arrival – Consumption – Explanations – Summary & Implications Origin of Maize Zea may (Gramineae) “grass family” • Original habitat & ancestor obscure • Best Estimate: – Teosinte was the wild ancestor of maize – Central America Mexico around (7,000 yrs. ago) Common Types of Maize Around 50 Species with 5 phenotypes Flour Sweet Pop Dent (soft)  soups Flint (harder)  gruel Consumption of White vs. Yellow Maize • 90% of Africa's total maize production is white • 90% of world production of maize is yellow Cultivation/Dispersal • Maize does not exist in a wild state • Not naturally dispersed – Husk covers seeds • Cannot reproduce without human intervention Uses: Developed World As Industrial Raw Material: Embryo  cornstarch etc. Grain  alcoholic beverages Stalks  paper and yarn Pith  light packing material Inner husks  cigarette papers Cobs fuel, explosives, plastics, synthetic rubber and nylon Uses: Africa – What proportion of harvested maize is used as a food resource? – 95%! Part II Arrival • 1500 The New World provided Africa with many new cultigens: – cassava, beans, potatoes, and maize • African natives used a variety of maize until 20th century Arrival of Hybrids 20th century: • Large scale Industrialization • Monocropping of hybrid white corn • Colonial Rhodesia (1964)SR-52 • 48% increased yields • 150 day long season • No fertilizer Farmers Happy : ) • • high yielding & profitable Less labor intensive than traditional crops Consumption • Maize displaced indigenous crops that were higher in nutrition: Sorghum Yams Millet Consumption 20th cent on: Maize continued to spread across Africa Maize Consumption: 2001 Maize Consumption 2002 Possible Explanations • Hammer Mill 1920s • Cheaper processing • Maize vs. millet & sorghum • No de-hulling prior to hopper for grinding Possible Explanations • British starch market: 1920’s – Demand for white maize • Primarily dent • Easier on mills Summary & Implications • Since the arrival of maize in the 1500’s: – Grown to be the most consumed food in the continent – Poor nutrition has emerged due to a high dependency on maize as top food source – Monocropping still a risk to farmers QUESTIONS?

Can Africa Escape the Maize

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