30 indigenous crops promoting health and contributing to food security

by Food Tank

Farmer Stella Jeliati picking cowpeas pods from her granary at her home in Mzingo Village, Mchinji, Malawi in May 2013. Photo: ©FAO/Amos Gumulira

According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), just twelve crops provide 75 percent of the world’s food. Three of these crops, rice, maize, and wheat contribute to nearly 60 percent of the protein and calories obtained by humans from plants. Since the beginning of the 20th century, some 75 percent of plant genetic diversity has been lost.

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