Grain Production Continues Growth After Mixed Decade
Flowering quinoa plant:flickr/net_efekt
For the second year in a row, world grain
production rose in 2008, with farmers producing some 2.3
billion tons. The record harvest was up more than 7 percent
over the previous year and caps a decade in which only half
the years registered gains.
According to the latest Vital Signs Update on grain
production :
- Farmers in Asia led grain production in 2008,
growing 42 percent of the world total (969 million
tons), of which some 43 percent was rice (milled
equivalent). The Americas were the next largest growing
region, with maize as the prominent crop, followed by
Europe, which grew a significant amount of wheat.
- Grain production destined for biofuels continues to
grow, topping more than 5 percent in 2008, at 120
million tons. This marks a nearly 10-percent increase
over the previous year, but a slower rate than the 25
percent experienced the year before.
- Today, only 150 crops are cultivated, a sharp drop
from the 10,000 used over time, and three grains--maize,
rice, and wheat--combined with potatoes provide more
than 50 percent of human energy needs.
This new grain production update includes the latest
figures on grain production globally and by region.
Read the Vital Signs analysis,
"Grain Production Continues Growth After Mixed Decade"
by Alice McKeown.
Complete trends will be available with full endnote
referencing, Excel spreadsheets, and presentation-ready
charts as part of our new subscription service,
Vital Signs Online, slated to launch in November.
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