Corn as a Staple Food

Maize, also known as corn in the United States, Canada, and Australia is one of the most wildly produced crops in the world. It is almost assured that maize was first domesticated in Mexico and then reached the United States as a cultivated plant (Linton, 1924). Corn is one crop that is the most common in the everyday food we eat. But with a high level of production comes a very difficult level of labor. Labor causes loss of life in many areas around the world along with devastating environmental impacts. This staple crop is a key for almost every country on the globe. It is in almost everything we eat, and a lot of times can be eaten alone. To feed billions of people around the world, corn production has very negative effects on many different aspects. The demand for corn is very high all over the world, but to meet this demand its production takes a toll on the people who produce it, the environment in which it is produced in, and how important it is for the economy.

When the English settlers first came to the new world, they didn’t know what to call this cereal grain. The word ‘maize’ was originally Spanish, and since the English settlers did not know about this grain, they had to name it something. They called it Indian corn, which now it is just known as corn (Stack Exchange, 2009). In the 1900s, research was done and evidence has shown that corn is a hybrid plant “resulting from the interbreeding of cultivated corn and the wild grass teosinte” (Whiting, 1944). Also, evidence shows that a corn-like plant, that was previously domesticated away from the wild grass teosinte, was brought into the area where teosinte was growing, and they interbred with each other to produce the corn we eat today (Whiting, 1944). This event was very unlikely to happen considering that there had to be two very specific types of plants that had to interbreed.

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To begin with, as we know, corn is one of the most widely produced crops in the entire world. The United States is the largest producer of corn in the entire world, coming in at over 345 million metric tons in 2019-2020. The United States is the world’s largest exporter of corn as well. The United States is leading in terms of how much they produce by a high margin. Coming in at second is China with 260 million metric tons, and at third is Brazil who produces about 100 million metric tons of corn (Statista, 2020). In the United States, more than 90 million acres of land are planted with corn, and the majority of the crop is grown in the heartland region, which is the central area of the country. Although it may seem that most of the corn we produce is produced to be consumed, it is not.

Corn is processed into many industrial products, which include starch, sweeteners, corn oil, beverages, and even ethanol fuel (USDA, 2020). Most of the corn grown in the United States are grown in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, the eastern areas of South Dakota and Nebraska, and the western portions of Ohio and Kentucky. The corn acreage in the United States has grown significantly from the 1980s to 2010 due to the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996. This permitted farmers to make their own decisions when it comes to the production of corn. Famers had an incentive to produce more corn, because they can make their most profitable crop (USDA, 2020). This goes to show that the production of corn is at an ever-increasing rate, and because of the population growth in the world, this level of production will be needed.

In addition, these high levels of corn production come at a cost.

The environmental issues that have occurred because of the huge supply and demand of corn has taken a toll on the environment locally and around the world as a whole. According to a study, it evaluated the potential aggregate and regional agricultural land use and the environmental impact it has had in due to corn ethanol production (Larson, 2010). The US agriculture sector used an intergraded modeling approach to determine the ethanol production in the United States. They found that the production of ethanol production jumped from 1.6 billion gallons a year to 9 billion gallons a year from 2000 to 2008, almost all made from corn starch (Larson, 2010). Since the amount of corn-based ethanol fuel is increasing at a very fast rate, it has grown to become a problem for the environment in which it’s produced.

The land where corn-based ethanol is produced has had problems with soil erosion. The increased production of corn-based ethanol increases the amount of pesticide pollution in the environment. Due to the high level of crop management, on-farm carbon dioxide emissions result from the combustion of fossil fuels are increasing, and off-farm emission emanates from the use of fossil fuels for manufacturing and transportation of inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, and seeds (Larson, 2010). Emissions from corn crop production have been estimated to be between 103 trillion g of CO2 (113.5 million tons) and 111 trillion g CO2 (122.4 million tons) (Larson, 2010). Many different kinds of machinery used in crop production increases the level of carbon dioxide induced in the soil and the atmosphere. Although the use of fertilizer and chemicals can be changed so that it would be less devastating to the environment, it will continue to have somewhat of a negative impact.

Speaking of fertilizers, to enhance the growth of corn, its producers use a vast amount of nitrogen fertilizers. Although nitrogen is critical for life on Earth, an excess of it can have devastating impacts on the environment and for the lives of humans and animals. The nitrogen in the fertilizers can seep underground into groundwater, and can also runoff into two major bodies of water such as rivers and lakes. Excess exposure to nitrogen can be devastating to ecology. It can and has led to many fishes dying in rivers and lakes nearby. Also, for humans, too much exposure to excess nitrogen can lead to diseases and birth defects. (Garcia, 2017). The demand for corn is increasing every day, as it is a very important commodity to feed the world population. Considering the increase in corn production, this will lead to an even more devastating environmental impact for the United States, as we produce the most corn than any other country.

Farmers who are responsible and grow corn have had and will continue to have negative impacts on their well-being and survival. Farmers constantly live in fear of losing their crops and their hard work not being paid off. One of the many things they have to deal with is soil erosion. Soil erosion leads to loss of fertility for their corn crops. Production of their crops will and can continue, but they will lose a significant amount of money that they have spent trying to grow corn. (Nadal, 2002). Corn farmers often find themselves in difficult positions trying to have a sustainable business, but some factors are just out of their control. For them to stay sustainable in the long run, “farmers have to put additional pressure on their land to counter the negative trends in the yield. This launches a round of increased erosion” (Nadal, 2002). In Mexico, corn producers have to deal with more than just environmental impacts. They have to deal with government policies and laws regarding the production and distribution of corn. In the Southeastern Puebla, Tehuacan Valley, known as the ‘Cradle of Corn’ (Fitting, 2002), indigenous farmers had to overcome and adapt to neoliberal reforms and economic crisis. A huge amount of corn imported from the United States for the use of animal feed, grain for tortilla, and many different industrial needs were found to be genetically modified. This batch of corn was made its way into local markets and small-scale cultivators for planting, but they did not know the kind of purchase they had just made (Fitting, 2002). This finding posed a threat to biological discovery in the valley, where maize is thought to be first discovered. It also triggered an international trade debate about the extent of how corn imports can potentially harm corn biodiversity in Mexico.

To continue, for many that have tried to make a living by taking up corn production in Mexico, it is just not enough to survive sometimes. Young residents in Mexico near the valley were asked if they would take up crop production as they age, many will not because there is just not enough money to be made (Fitting, 2002). The amount of labor is outrages, and money is not just simply not enough to put food on the table. Neoliberal reforms have made lives more difficult than it already was for corn producers in Mexico. The previous government administration was very helpful in terms of self-sufficiency in corn production, but under the new administration and the neoliberal reforms, the goal of self-sufficiency was replaced. The new administration gave consumers access to cheap tortillas and offered lower prices to corn-based foods. Due to this policy change, small-scale corn producers were out of luck and ran out of business. 50 years ago, in a town where corn producers were able to make a living, simply don’t have money for food now. Those towns are now known as ‘low product potential’ zones and an area that is in poverty and need of ‘social welfare assistance’ (Fitting, 2002). People in these towns have been struggling for decades because of changes in government policies.

In addition, corn is a crop that is very important for people’s survival not only in Mexico. At the Mexico-Guatemala border, many residents and corn producers there risk their lives selling corn to each other’s country. Considering the neoliberal policies in their countries, residents there pursued their own way of making a living. Their plan to smuggle corn from Mexico to Guatemala has been a vital strategy not only to make money, but to survive in their hostile environment. They argue that this constituted legitimate ‘free trade’. Residents at the border stress the legitimacy of this ‘free trade’, where corn is vital for their survival. Residents there don’t want to smuggle weapons, drugs, and illegal immigrants, but trading corn should not be considered illegal as those (Galemba, 2012). Since corn has a high demand, the policies put forth by governments makes it harder for people to survive in areas like these.

Corn production has a massive impact on the United States economy. A study done by Sangnyeol Jung, a student from Southwest Minnesota State University, and Peter Y. Wui, a student from the University of Arkansas, shows exactly the amount of impact it has on the US economy. They collected data from the US Department of Commerce and the US Department of Agriculture. They find that the total corn production value was $62.6 billion and the total labor income was $37,460,000. This shows that corn plays a vital role in the health and well-being of the US economy.

Corn production gives a massive boost to rural economies in the United States. Ethanol fuel is one of the factors that gives the rural economies a boost. It is produced in bio-refineries through a process of fermenting and distilling from bio-mass feedstock, which is primarily corn. In 2006, 20 percent of the United States corn production was used for ethanol fuel (Nancy, 2007). Twenty percent is a great deal of corn used to produce this fuel, considering the total amount of corn that is produced by only the United States. During the process of producing ethanol fuel, its production creates byproducts which helps expand total revenues. For example, one byproduct is dried grains used in feed rations for livestock. Another way it expanded its revenue is by selling the excess carbon dioxide created by its production to soft drink producers and many other industries and businesses (Nancy, 2007). This goes to show that there is a lot of profits being made in this industry. These profits lead to a stronger rural economy in which it is produced, but can also create a better work environment for its workers, and the demand can lead to more employment in the United States which helps the overall economy.

As it currently shows, corn production has a positive impact on the rural and national economy, but it may not stay that way for long. Environmental policies put forth by the government can lead to a slow down to corn production, this can lead to unemployment for thousands of workers in the United States. Governmental policies are very beneficial for the environment, but it can reduce the growth of the economy. People in local communities would lose their jobs and their hope of a future with the production of corn-based ethanol (Nancy, 2007). This can lead to people not investing in that community, and it can lead to the town where people get laid off to lose a lot of money, money that the town could use for new roads and buildings.

The production of corn is vital for the lives people live not only in the United States, but around the world. This crop feeds billions of people, but it takes a toll on the environment and the people who produce it. It is a crop that many people consume on a daily basis, and also a crop that helps people survive like in rural areas of Mexico. The production of corn has a detrimental impact on the environment, and the increase of supply and demand of this staple crop will only make it worse for the local communities and producers. The farmers that grow corn will continue to have negative impacts on their health and well-being, as a consequence of trying to survive and make a living. It’s very easy to underestimate the road a package of frozen corn took to find its place in the freezer section of your local supermarket. The environmental impacts along with the brutal labor corn production enforces is something only a person involved with would understand. Although corn production is a great benefit for the global economy along with employment, it can be ones only mean for survival.

Works Cited

1. Fitting, Elizabeth. December 2, 2002. “Importing Corn, Exporting Labor: The Neo Liberal Regime, GMO’s and the Erosion of Mexican Biodiversity”. Sociology and Social Anthropology 23: 15-26. doi.org/10.1007/s10460-004-5862-y.
2. Galemba, B. Rebecca. November 2, 2012. “Corn iIs Food, Not Contraband: The Right to Free Trade at the Mexico-Guatemala Border'. Journal of American Ethnological Society 39(4): 716-734. doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-1425.2012.01391.x.
3. Garcia, Valerie. May 15, 2017. “Examining the Impacts of Increased Corn Production on Groundwater Quality Using a Coupled Modeling System”. Science of the Total Environment 586: 16-24. doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.009.
4. Jung, Sangnyeol and Peter, Y. Wui. 2014. “Economic Role of Corn Production and Marketing System in the Midwest”. Paper presented at an annual meeting for the Agriculture and Applied Economics Association, Minneapolis, Minnesota, July 27-29, 2014.
5. Larson, James. September, 2010. “Economic and Environmental Impact of Corn Grain Ethanol Industry on the United States Agriculture Sector”. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 65(5): 267-279. doi.org/10.2489/jswc.65.5.267.
6. Linton, Ralph. July, 1924. “The Significance of Certain Traits in North American Maize Culture”. 26(3): 245-349. doi.org/10.1525/aa.1924.26.3.02a00050.
7. Nadal, Alejandro. September, 2002. “The Environmental and Social Impacts of Economic Liberalization on Corn Production in Mexico”. Oxfam GB and WWE International.
8. Novack, Nancy. 2007. “Can Ethanol Power the Rural Economy”. The Main Street Economist 2(1):1-6.
9. Stack Exchange. 2009. “Why Does Corn Mean Maize in American English”. Accessed September 2020. https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/96522/why-does-corn-mean-maize-in-american-english
10. Statista. 2020. “Global Corn Production in 2019/2020 by Country”. Accessed September 2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/254292/global-corn-production-by-country/
11. United States Department of Agriculture. 2020. “Feed Grains Sector at a Glance”. Accessed September 29, 2020. https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/corn-and-other-feedgrains/feedgrains-sector-at-a-glance/
12. Whiting, F. Alfred. October, 1944. “The Origin of Corn: An Evaluation of Fact and Theory”. 46(4): 500-515. doi.org/10.1525/aa.1944.46.4.02a00060.