Why native crops ?

Native crops can be expected to fit the ecology of the region, and be able to grow in the climate and soil of the region. However, native crops may not always be as productive as the more popular domesticated counterparts or attain equally high prices. The latter is often a result of being not well known (and thus disliked) by the population (at least at first).

Native crops should always be considered in agriculture and food security, and should be picked wherever possible. They are however not the most appropriate choice in some situations. Especially where unwanted propagation, and contact to the outside environment can be reduced/eliminated (ie use in greenhouses, sterile crops, ...) non-indigenous crops may be a suitable option.

Types of native crops by region

Indigenous staple, secondary and tertiary crops map. Map key required.

Type of crops indicated in this article

Primary crops: divided in primary crops carbohydrates (PC_C_) and primary crops protein (PC_C_). Both abbreviations are followed by a number to indicate the region.
Secondary crops: abbreviation SC_ followed by a number to indicate the region. These are generally herbs, spices (most widely used kitchen herbs/spices) or crops for making beverages
Supplementary (or tertiary) crops: TC_ followed by a number to indicate the region. These crops are generally sweet crops or sweeteners

Not indicated crops

Fruits or "quartary crops" are not indicated on this page. Quintary crops or vegetables are also not indicated. Separate maps of both can be found via the links below.

Regions

Region 1: East-Asia
Region 2: Oceania
Region 3: Central-Asia
Region 4: West-Asia & South-Europe
Region 5: North-Africa & South-Africa
Region 6: Central-Africa
Region 7: North-Europe, North-Asia & North-America
Region 8: Central-America
Region 9: South-America (north)
Region 10: South-America (central)
Region 11: South-America (south)

Names of the native crops

PC_C_1: rice, foxtail millet [1][2]
PC_P_1: soybean [3]
SC_1: tea bush [4]
TC_1: monk fruit [5][6]
PC_C_2: yam[7], swamp taro [8]
PC_P_2:
SC_2: great morinda [9], common nutmeg[10]
TC_2: sugarcane [11], Arenga palm[12], Asian Palmyra Palm [13], Nypa fruticans [14], True Sago Palm (for palm sugar production)[15], New Guinea Palmyra Palm[16][17]
TC_2-1: coconut [18]
PC_C_3: taro [19]
PC_P_3:
SC_3: black pepper [20], Hibiscus sabdariffa [21], lemon grass [22], Ceylon cinnamon [23], basil [24]
TC_3: Indian date palm (for palm sugar production)[25], Caryota urens [26]
PC_C_4: wheat, rye [27][28]
PC_P_4: oat [29][30], wild pea [31], chickpea[32], lentil [33]
SC_4: rosemary [34], spear mint [35], dill [36], coriander [37], saffron [38], anise [39], black and white mustard [40]
TC_4: Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) [41][42]
PC_C_5: pearl millet, barley [43][44]
PC_P_5:
SC_5: Kola nut [45]
TC_5: African Palmyra Palm[46], Ake Assi's Palmyra Palm[47][48]
TC_5-2:Borassus madagascariensis[49][50]
PC_C_6: Sorghum bicolor, teff [51][52]
PC_P_6:
SC_6: coffee plant (coffea arabica, coffea robusta)[53]
TC_6:
PC_C_7: buckwheat [54][55]
PC_P_7: Amaranthus hypochondriacus [56][57][58]
SC_7: sassafras albidum [59], Ephedra [60]
SC_7-2: rosa canina [61], small-leaved linden [62], valerian [63], chamomile [64], garlic/Allium longicuspis [65]
TC_7: birch (Betula papyrifera var. humilis and Betula neoalaskana)[66], sugar maple[67]
TC_7-2: honey (from Apis mellifera mellifera)[68][69][70], sweet cicely root[71],licorice [72]
PC_C_8: maize [73]
PC_P_8: Amaranthus cruentus [74][75][76][77]
SC_8: vanilla [78]
TC_8: sugar pine [79], Agave salmiana, Agave tequilana [80]
PC_C_9: potato [81]
PC_P_9: quinoa [82][83][84], Amaranthus caudatus [85][86][87][88], lima bean [89], peanut
SC_9: Capsicum annuum [90], guarana [91]
TC_9: Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni and other species [92][93], yacón syrup [94]
PC_C_10: cassava [95]
PC_P_10:
SC_10:
TC_10:
PC_C_11: sweet potato [96][97]
PC_P_11:
SC_11: yerba maté [98]
TC_11:

See also

References

Template:Reflist

Note

  • Sugar beet wasn't included as it is a selected species from Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima

Kombucha not mentioned as it can be made anywhere without danger of introducing a exotic species to the area (uses a bacteria or yeast)

  • Coca (for coca maté) and kava not mentioned neither, despite being a important local drink. This, as they're mostly mind-altering substances rather than true drinks (unlike yeasted beverages (containing ethanol), they can cause vomoting, ... even when consuming small amounts)
  • Finally note that many beverages (ie lemonade, ...) require fruit juice (often from citrus such as lime or lemon). Refer to the Fruits and nuts map for this, not btw that these too have low caloric contents (other citrus crops have higher caloric contents)

Further information

See also

  1. Rice's origin= China, 3 locations along Yangtsekiang
  2. Foxtail millet origin=China (though somewhat more north than indicated)
  3. Soybean's origin=Korea
  4. Tea bush (var. sinensis) native to western Yunnan, while C. sinensis var. assamica is native to the warmer parts of Assam (India)
  5. Monk fruit native to china, near taiwan
  6. Luo han guo
  7. Yam's origin=Indonesia
  8. Swamp taro origin=melanesia
  9. Great morinda native to Southeast Asia (Indonesia) and Australia
  10. Common nutmeg native to the Banda Islands of Indonesia
  11. Sugarcane encompassing 37 species, indigenous to tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia. Different species likely originated in different locations, with S. barberi originating in India and S. edule and S. officinarum coming from New Guinea
  12. Arenga pinnata palm native to tropical Asia, from eastern India east to Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines in the east.
  13. Borassus flabellifer native along the entire northern shores of the Indian Ocean, from the mouth of the Tigris to New Guinea, yet more dominant in region between Indonesia and Pakistan
  14. Nypa fruticans native within the Indomalaya ecozone -in southern Asia, Indochina, the Malesian region, and northern Australia-
  15. Metroxylon sagu native to western New Guinea
  16. Borassus heineanus native to New Guinea
  17. Borassus heineanus used probably as a same way as Borassus akeasi, so not for palm sugar
  18. Cocunut's origin: somewhere between northwest-South america and Melanesia
  19. Taro origin=between India & Bangladesh
  20. Black pepper native to Western Ghats of Kerala State, India
  21. Hibiscus sabdariffa native to tropical Asia, from India to Malaysia
  22. Lemon grass species native to Southern India, Sri Lanka
  23. Ceylon cinnamon native to Sri Lanka
  24. Basil native to northeast India
  25. Indian date palm native to southern Pakistan, most of India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
  26. Caryota urens native to Sri Lanka, Singapore, Myanmar, and India
  27. Wheat origin=Fertile Crescent, Near East
  28. Rye origin=Fertile Crescent, Near East
  29. Oat origin=Fertile Crescent, Near East
  30. Oat having high comparitive protein content, thus usable as PC_P crop
  31. Pisum sativum elatius native to Bulgaria - Mediterranean basin, Near East. Earliest archaeological finds of peas come from Neolithic Syria, Turkey and Jordan.
  32. Chickpea native to the area around Persia and the Caucasus Mountains
  33. Lentils native to eastern Turkey, north Syria
  34. Rosemary native to the Mediterranean area
  35. Mentha cordifolia native to much of Europe and southwest Asia
  36. Dill native to southern Russia/East Europe
  37. Coriander native to southwestern Asia west to north Africa
  38. Saffron native to Southwest Asia, near Greece
  39. Anise native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia
  40. Black mustard native to southern Mediterranean region, white mustard (sinapis alba) native to the Mediterranean region and the Crimea
  41. Date palm native to Persian Gulf, near Syria
  42. Note that other data palms too exist, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_(plant) yet not all are used for human consumption
  43. Pearl millet origin=West Africa, near the Sahel strip
  44. Barley origin=Egypt
  45. Kola nut native to the tropical forests of West Africa
  46. Borassus aethiopum native to Sudan and the whole northern Sahelian border, in particular in the east an in savannah vegetation
  47. Borassus akeassii native to West Africa, ie Burkina Faso
  48. Borassus akeassii mainly used for preparing drinks, not for palm sugar
  49. Borassus madagascariensis native to Madagascar
  50. Sambirano Palmyra Palm also exists in Madagascar yet has no particular use, ref:Plant Resources of Tropical Africa: Vegetables by G. J. H. Grubben
  51. Origin sorghum bicolor= between Ehiopia & Sudan (also named Sudanese grass)
  52. Teff origin=Ethiopia
  53. Coffee native to Ethiopia
  54. Buckwheat origin=northern hemisphere
  55. http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/food/entries/display.php/topic_id/9/id/122/ Buckwheat origin=between Lac Baikal & Manchuria]
  56. Compararing protein crops
  57. Amaranth high in nutrients, useful as PC_P crop
  58. Amaranthus hypochondricus origin=North America
  59. Sassafras albidum native to eastern North America, from southern Maine and southern Ontario west to Iowa, and south to central Florida and eastern Texas
  60. Ephedra funerea, Ephedra viridis and Ephedra nevadensis native to Nevada, California
  61. Rosa canina native to Europe, including Britain, northwest Africa and western Asia
  62. small-leaved linden native to much of Europe and western Asia
  63. Valerian native to Europe and parts of Asia
  64. chamomile native to Europe and Western Asia
  65. Allium longicuspis native to central and southwestern Asia
  66. Betula papyrifera var. humilis and Betula neoalaskana native to Alaska, northern Canada
  67. Sugar maple (used to make maple syrup) native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario, and south to Georgia and Texas.
  68. Apis florea and Apis andreniformis native to South and South East Asia (including the Philippines)
  69. Apis mellifera mellifera native to East-Europe
  70. Apis mellifera having 14 subspecies, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeybee and http://www.imkerpedia.nl/wiki/index.php/Ondersoorten_van_de_Apis_mellifera
  71. Sweet cicely native to Europe
  72. Licorice native to southeastern Europe, near Romania/Bulgaria
  73. Maize's origin=Mexico
  74. Compararing protein crops
  75. Amaranth high in nutrients, useful as PC_P crop
  76. Amaranthus cruentus origin=Central America
  77. Amaranthus cruentus origin=Central America
  78. Vanilla native to Mexico
  79. Sugar pine native to the mountains of the Pacific coast of North America, from Oregon through California to Baja California
  80. Agave salmiana and Agave tequilana native to central Mexico
  81. Potato origin=Peru
  82. Quinoa indigenous to Peru, protein content=14g/100g serving
  83. Quinoa origin=around Lake Titicaca
  84. Quinoa having high comparitive protein content, hence useful as PC_P_ crop
  85. Comparing protein crops
  86. Amaranth high in nutrients, useful as PC_P crop
  87. Amaranthus caudatus origin=Peru
  88. Amaranthus causates origin=south America
  89. Lima bean origin=Andes
  90. Capsicum species having a common ancestor which originated somewhere in the northwest Brazil - Colombia area
  91. Guarana native to the Amazon, in the region of Manaus and Parintins
  92. Stevia encompassing 240 species, native to subtropical and tropical regions from western North America to South America
  93. Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni is native to Paraguay
  94. Yacón native to lower Andes/Peru
  95. Cassava origin= west-central Brazil
  96. Sweet potato origin=South America
  97. Cassava's origin
  98. Yerba maté native to subtropical South America in northeastern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay
Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.