Crop and Society in Centers of Diversity
Crop and Society in Centers of Diversity
This chapter introduces three crop and farming regions—potatoes in the Peruvian Andes, maize in Mesoamerica, and wheat in Antolia. The three cases of crop diversity introduced are among a small number of hearths of plant domestication, each of which bestowed a local crop that has become a world crop and staple for people in different continents and different environments. The chapter reveals that no inherent similarity joins the Andes, Mesoamerica, and Anatolia other than their common history as centers of crop domestication and repositories of diversity. Many factors differentiate these centers of diversity from one another. The chapter emphasizes that crop diversity must be understood at a more intimate level and in terms of the local landscapes, societies, and cultures of each region.
Keywords: plant domestication, maize bread, food production, farming, biological technology
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