The Diversity of Food

1. A. Amaranth, or edible pigweed would make an excellent staple crop. Its stalk and leaves are high in vitamins, and can also be used in many ways like hemp. Its flour or grains are high in protein and can easily find their way into vegetarian diets. It is an inexpensive crop that has been labeled a crop of the future for many reasons: it produces lots of fruit (seeds = grain), easily harvested, contains large amounts of amino acids, and is tolerant of tropical environments. Amaranth can also be used for dyes or ornamentally. B. Yacon roots, indigenous to South America can be eaten on the account that they are nutritious, sweet, and a good source of energy. Its stems and leaves contain about 15% protein. Yacon is also a good insulin producer, and has been prescribed to diabetes patients. Yacon could find its way into our diets by providing a natural alternative to artificial sweeteners.

2. Having such minimal diversity the human diet can have a number of ill effects on society. By only consuming three staple foods, we are fairly limited by them in our nutrient intake. If the staple foods in our diets are lacking nutrients, diseases may occur within the population. In addition to having an unvaried diet, famines can occur if the staple crop fails; like the Irish potato famine. If the crop that a society depends on fails, that society will also fail and people will die of starvation. If a society has a variety of staple crops they will have more of a chance to survive if one of the species of crops fails, and their diet will be more balanced as well. Having a varied cuisine also increases the joy and palatability of meals.
But having a minimal diversity in the human diet does have a positive implication upon society. Societies can base their diets around a known staple, and design many recipes that add in different foods that accent, and complete the nutritional needs of the population. The society can also focus on that one crop, and work on making it more productive.

3. The negative implication of the three staple crops (wheat, corn, rice) being annuals is that they need to be resown every year. This puts a yearly strain on the farmers. Crops that are perennials can become more productive over time but do take a while to get started, while annuals become highly productive almost immediately. Annuals also lack an extensive root system, so if struck with a drought they are more vulnerable than most perennials.
The positive implication about the three staple crops being annuals is that if the farmer plants his crops in a bad location one year, he can relocate the next year in more fertile soils. The annuals that are grown in one area drain the soil of specific nutrients in most situations. But growing annuals allows the farmer to replant his soil with a different variety of plant that can replenish the soil with much needed nutrients. In a process called crop rotation, farmers alternate crops that use up and put back different nutrients back into the soil. For example, corn takes a lot of nitrogen out of the soil while legumes put nitrogen back into the soil. Crop rotation cannot be done with perennials.