BBC News had a story on the fiber crop, jute (Corchorus olitorius L.). Jute is grown is an annual grown in warm wet climates, primarily in South Asia. "Jute plants need a temperature ranging from 21 to 38 degrees Celsius and relative humidity of 70 to 80 per cent. After sowing, around 2 to 3 inches of rainfall is needed per week" (Jute Knowledge Center). Plants are harvested four months after planting. Jute is also less commonly used as a medicinal plant to treat aches, pains, dysentery, cardiac problems, and other ailments.

 

Bangladesh's 'golden fibre' comes back from the brink

By Anbarasan Ethirajan  

BBC News, Dhaka  

Jute, a vegetable fibre that can be spun into sackcloth, used to be the 'golden fibre' of Bangladesh.

It brought much-needed foreign income to the impoverished nation.

But it lost its lustre in the 1980s after synthetic materials like polythene and plastics were introduced.
Now the natural fibre has made a spectacular comeback.
Exports of jute and jute products from Bangladesh this fiscal year crossed a record billion dollars as demand for the natural fibre is steadily increasing. 

 

An Article about Watermelon Seeds

Some of the different pulp varieties. Source: NCSU

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) originates from southern Africa and is believed to have been domesticated at least 4,000 years ago. In 2009, world production of watermelon totaled about 98 million metric tons (FAOSTAT). "Fruits vary considerably in morphology. Whereas the fruits of the wild Kalahari form are small and round, the cultivated forms are large oblong fruits. In addition, they vary from pale yellow or light green (wild form) to dark green (cultivars), and with or without stripes; the pulp varies from yellow or green (wild forms) to dark red (cultivars) (Jeffrey 1978)."

Diversity in watermelon fruit shape and color. Source: NCSU

The following article, published in Slate, explains why the watermelon variety most commonly eaten in the U.S. has white and black seeds.

What's With White Watermelon Seeds?  

(Read after the break)

 

What is in a name? Yams

There are about 600 different species of yam (Dioscorea species). However, three species (D. alata, D. cayenensis-rotundata, and D. trifida) are considered to be the primary yam species consumed in the Tropics.

Below are some of the common names for the species, Dioscorea alata :

 

Source

Going to the Market with a Dollar in Kenya

When talking about global poverty, it is common to encounter a statistic about how X many people live on less than a dollar a day. The "dollar a day" metric for the international poverty line originated in the World Bank's 1990 World Development Report. In this report, the researchers found that the poverty lines in a few of the developing countries that they examined clustered around a dollar in purchasing power parity. The poverty line was meant to mark the minimum amount needed a person to feed, clothe, and provide shelter for her/himself. Today, the new international poverty line is at $1.25 a day.

Even though this definition of the poverty line has flaws (measuring absolute poverty rather than relative poverty) and these videos have some flaws (no haggling at the market?), I think this series provides an interesting look at food markets in many countries around the world.

For more about the poverty line, I recommend this article from The Economist, On the poverty line.

Going to the Market with a Dollar in Guatemala

For the next several days, I'm going to feature some videos from the World Food Program where one of their employees goes to a market and sees what the equivalent of one U.S. dollar will buy. Although the videos don't seem to show any haggling, I think they are a good illustration of food markets, differing regional cuisines, and difficulties faced the poor in affording nutritionally balanced food.

Today's video is of a market in Guatemala.

According to the FAO, the top 10 crops produced in Guatemala (by quantity) in 2008 were sugar cane, bananas, maize (corn), potatoes, other melons (inc. cantaloupes, but not watermelon), tomatoes, cow milk, coffee, pineapples, and plantains.

Source: FAOSTAT

Crop Diversity

The other day, my super cool friend and future Explorer, Kate and I had a conversation about linguistic diversity and some of the issues related to and benefits of preserving that diversity. Similar to the recent and rapid decline of linguistic diversity, plant diversity (of both domesticated and wild species) is also being threatened.

The July issue of the National Geographic Magazine had an interesting article about the dwindling diversity of many domesticated crop and animal species and efforts being taken to preserve and protect that diversity. Declining diversity among many commonly eaten foods is pictured in the diagram below.

Source: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/07/food-ark/food-variety-graphic

 

 

 

Read part of the article after the break

NYTimes highlights Mango Recipes

Isn't it typical that just days after I profile the mango, the New York Times does the same thing?

Foreign Policy also features an interesting slideshow of street food from various places around the world. To view all the photos click here.

Street Eats

From Cairo to Indonesian volcanoes, the way the world eats out.

APRIL 25, 2011

Enjoying a watermelon at the bazaar in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 400 kilometers east of the capital, Riyadh, on May 16, 2008.

AFP/Getty Images

Even in the midst of violence in Ivory Coast, locals shopped at markets in Abidjan’s Koumassi district on April 12, 2011.

SIA KAMBOU/AFP/Getty Images

A Palestinian youth sells strawberries on Feb. 16 in Jerusalem's Old City Muslim quarter.

MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images

A Nepalese vendor sells food from a roadside stall in Bhaktapur, some 12 kilometers southeast of Kathmandu on Feb. 16.

PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP/Getty Images

A fruit seller stands by his roadside shop in Mumbai on Sept. 16, 2010.

PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images 

Rising Food Prices

For the past several months, much has been written, both in the U.S. and abroad, about rising food prices. Volatility in food prices is especially detrimental for people in developing countries where the poor can spend up to 80 percent of their income on food.

 

Business

17 April 2011 Last updated at 04:54 ET

World Bank president: 'One shock away from crisis'

The president of the World Bank has warned that the world is "one shock away from a full-blown crisis".

Robert Zoellick cited rising food prices as the main threat to poor nations who risk "losing a generation".
He was speaking in Washington at the end of the spring meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Food price changes Q1 2010 to Q1 2011
Source: World Bank Development Prospects Group
Maize	74%
Wheat	69%
Palm oil	55%
Soybeans	36%
Beef	30%
Rice	-2%

Meanwhile, G20 finance chiefs, who also met in Washington, pledged financial support to help new governments in the Middle East and North Africa.

Mr Zoellick said such support was vital.

"The crisis in the Middle East and North Africa underscores how we need to put the conclusions from our latest world development report into practice. The report highlighted the importance of citizen security, justice and jobs," he said.

He also called for the World Bank to act quickly to support reforms in the region.
"Waiting for the situation to stabilise will mean lost opportunities. In revolutionary moments the status quo is not a winning hand."

At the Washington meetings, turmoil in the Middle East, volatile oil prices and high unemployment were also discussed.

IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn raised particular concerns about high levels of unemployment among young people. "It's probably too much to say that it's a jobless recovery, but it's certainly a recovery with not enough jobs," he said. "Especially because of youth unemployment... there is now a risk that this will be turned into a life sentence, and that there is a possibility of a lost generation," he said.

The Majestic Mango

Some History

Mango, Mangifera indica, is believed to have been domesticated about 4000 years ago around Northeastern India and Southeast Asia. Portuguese traders are largely responsible for introducing mangoes to Africa and Brazil in the 16^th century.

Mango tree

Botany

Mangifera indica L. is a member of the plant family, Anacardiaceae, which contains a number of highly poisonous plants. Sap from mango trees is a potent skin irritant and can cause blistering of the skin.

Mango trees are evergreens that can reach heights of 90ft (~27.5 meters) and widths of 80 ft (~24.5m). During flowering, mature trees are covered in hundreds of small white flowers, about ¼ inch wide when open. Most flowers are imperfect and function as males to provide pollen for pollination, while the rest are perfect flowers, containing both female and male plant reproductive structures. The perfect flowers are the ones that can set fruit.

Source

Fruit can be round, ovate, or obovate and can weigh in the range of ¼ pound to 3 pounds (.11-1.36kg). Immature fruit has green skin that turns yellow, red, orange, purple or some combination of those colors as it matures. The fruit contains a single seed that is flattened and sticks to the fruit flesh surrounding it.  

Production 

In 2008, the top mango producers (according to the FAO) were India, China and Thailand. In addition to being the largest producer of mangoes, India also has over 1,000 different varieties and mango is sometimes regarded as the "king of fruits."

	countries	item	element	2008
	World + (Total)	Mangoes, mangosteens, guavas	Production (tonnes)	34889014
1	India	Mangoes, mangosteens, guavas	Production (tonnes)	13649400
2	China	Mangoes, mangosteens, guavas	Production (tonnes)	3976716
3	Thailand	Mangoes, mangosteens, guavas	Production (tonnes)	2374165
4	Indonesia	Mangoes, mangosteens, guavas	Production (tonnes)	2013123
5	Mexico	Mangoes, mangosteens, guavas	Production (tonnes)	1855359
6	Pakistan	Mangoes, mangosteens, guavas	Production (tonnes)	1753686
7	Brazil	Mangoes, mangosteens, guavas	Production (tonnes)	1154649
8	Philippines	Mangoes, mangosteens, guavas	Production (tonnes)	884011
9	Bangladesh	Mangoes, mangosteens, guavas	Production (tonnes)	802750
10	Nigeria	Mangoes, mangosteens, guavas	Production (tonnes)	734000

Source

Importance

Beyond being delicious, mango is a good source of Vitamin A. Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children and is especially problematic in Africa and Southeast Asia, regions with mangoes.

Vitamin A content (Source)

Level	ug retinol equivalent/kg	Crops
Medium	<500 ug	guava, kumquat, mandarin
High	<4000 ug	apricot, loquat, orange-fleshed melon, papaya, persimmon
Red pepper	6000 ug
Mango	12500 ug

---

Nutrition

“Raw mango consists of about 81.7% water, 17% carbohydrate, 0.5% protein, 0.3% fat, and 0.5% ash. A 100 g (3.5 oz) serving of raw mango has 65 calories and about half the vitamin C found in oranges. Mango contains more vitamin A than most fruits.” (Crop Master Knowledge).

Mangoes of different shapes and colors - Source

What is in a name? Mango

One of my friends recently asked me about my dream farm. While I'm not exactly sure what I would grow if I had my own farm, I know I would definitely be growing mango. Mangoes, Mangifera indica L., are grown and eaten around the world. It seems like there are almost as many names for 'mango' as there are different varieties.

Source

Names for Mangifera indica L.
SYNONYM(S) : Mangifera domestica Gaertn.
ARABIC :            مانجا      Manja,       Mangô.
ASSAMESE : Ghariyam.
BENGALI : Aama (Aam).
BURMESE : Thayeq dhì (Tharyetthi), Thayeq (Thayet).
CHINESE : Mang guo, Mang guo.
CZECH :   Mangovník indický.

DANISH : Mango, Mangotræ.
DUTCH : Manga, Mangga, Manja, Mangoestanboom, Mangostanboom.
ENGLISH : Indian mango, Mango, Mango tree , Mango-tree.
FINNISH : Mango, Mangopuu.
FRENCH : Mangue, Manguier.
GERMAN : Indischer Mangobaum, Mango , Mangofrucht, Mangobaum, Mangopalme.
GREEK :  Μάγκο   Magko,   Μάνγκο   Mangko.

HAUSA : Mangoro (Nigeria).
HEBREW : .
HINDI : Aam.
ITALIAN : Mango (fruit), Mango (tree).
JAPANESE : Mangoo, Mangou.
KHMER : Svaay.
KOREAN : Mang ko.
LAOTIAN : Mak mouang, Mwàngx.
MALAY : Ampelam, Mangga, Mangga (Indonesia), Mempelam.
NEPALESE : Aanpa, Amacura.
NORWEGIAN : Mango.
PERSIAN :         انبه        
POLISH :  Mango indyjskie.

PORTUGUESE : Manga, Mangueira.
RUSSIAN :   Манго    Mango.
SINHALESE : Etamba.
SLOVAKIAN :  Mangovník indický.

SPANISH : Mango (fruit), Mango (tree).
SWAHILI : Mwembe.
SWEDISH : Mango, Mango-arter.
TAGALOG : Mangang kalabau, Mangga.
TELUGU : Amramu.
THAI : Mamuang (Ma muang, Mak mouang).
URDU : Aam, Amba.
VISAYAN : Mangga.
VIETNAMESE : Xoài.

Topics in Tapioca

Cassava, Manihot esculenta Crantz, is a tropical crop grown for its bulky, starchy roots. Cassava originated in Paraguay and Brazil. It is a perennial woody shrub. Cassava is major source of low-cost carbohydrates for many people living in the humid topics. Cassava is one of the only crops grown in Africa produced in all ecological zones. Additionally, the crop is attractive to farmers because there is minimal or no requirement forfertilizer, a minimal weeding burden, and tolerance to drought and poor soils. Today, no wild forms of the species Manihot esculenta are known. Cassava is a diploid (2n=36).

Cassava is propagated vegetatively as clones, meaning that portions of mature plant stem are planted instead of seed. There is a wide range in the production yields of fresh root, reaching 90 tons/hectare while the world average is 9.8 t/ha due to much lower yields in subsistence agricultural systems.  

Photo of a man with cassava roots from USAID

Roots are prepared similarly to potato; they can be peeled and baked, boiled, or fried. Cooking cassava is important because the plant contains potentially toxic concentrations of compounds called cyanogenic glucosides that are rendered innocuous through cooking. In Africa, the roots are commonly fermented and then milled into flour or used to produce alcoholic beverages. Leaves are also consumed; young tender leaves are used as a leafy green vegetable and are prepared in a way similar to spinach. Proteins in the leaves have been found to equal in quality to the protein in egg. In addition to human consumption, unpeeled roots are dried and grated for animal feed. Also, cassava is used in industrial processing to make products including textiles, adhesives, high fructose syrup and paper.

In 2009, the FAO estimates that about 241 million tons of cassava were produced. The top producers of cassava were Thailand, Brazil and Indonesia.

countries	item	element	2008	2009
World + (Total)	Cassava	Production (tonnes)	232462874	240989481
Thailand	Cassava	Production (tonnes)	25155797	30088024
Brazil	Cassava	Production (tonnes)	26703039	26030969
Indonesia	Cassava	Production (tonnes)	21593052	22039148
Angola	Cassava	Production (tonnes)	10057375	12827580
Ghana	Cassava	Production (tonnes)	11351100	12230600
India	Cassava	Production (tonnes)	9056000	9623000
Viet Nam	Cassava	Production (tonnes)	9395800	8556900
Uganda	Cassava	Production (tonnes)	5072000	5179000
China	Cassava	Production (tonnes)	4411573	4511573
Cambodia	Cassava	Production (tonnes)	3676232	3497000

Source: FAOSTAT

Cassava is important to the diet of over one billion people and is the world’s fourth most important staple crop after rice, wheat and maize (corn). Given the widespread cultivation of cassava and its tolerance to harsh conditions, it has been recognized as essential to food security for millions.

Agnes Dherbeys for The New York Times

In a move that could impact food security, China has recently started using cassava as a biofuel, resulting in higher prices for cassava and expanded cultivation in countries like Thailand. Below is a NYTimes article about this development.