FAOStat

Regional crop production priorities ultimately govern the crop diversity achieved. Continents known for highly developed and large-scale production of wheat, maize, rice and soybean such as the Americas and Europe show rapid loss in harvested product diversity over the past 80 years—measured as the ratio of all products over the big four food grains produced globally. This reflects the importance these crops play in global trade and our daily diets. A different pattern in seen in Asia as crop diversity within this timeframe shows little decline, which is perhaps driven by the necessities of feeding a rapidly growing population. Crop diversity on the African continent shows a much different trend. The proportion of the big four food grains amongst all crop products is slowly decline but remains the highest amongst regions. Can Africa maintain this wealth of diversity in the face of the demands of its future population? This wider range of crops that are deeply rooted in its smallholder systems should represent a key consideration in terms of tradition, agro-biodiversity, and resilience.