In a radio story, NPR explains that the world depends on just a few crops for most of its food. Because that dependence could be risky, a new international effort supports research and development of overlooked plants as food sources.
NPR interviewed Purnima Menon, senior director of Food and Nutrition Policy at IFPRI, who discussed countries that had invested in corn, wheat, and other productive and profitable crops. "If you look across the world, particularly poor countries what's on people's plates isn't getting us anywhere close to the diverse diets we want to see on people's plates." The U.S. and others are investing in improving crop diversity. Menon says of the plan, "The one thing I can tell you is that pathway is very long. It's not a simple and straightforward pathway to what's grown and what gets on people's plates."
Listen to the story.
