The Future of Food财运富贵家CHINACorn Takes the LeadDietshaveshifted inChina-andsotoohas itstopcrop.Since2011theHarvested cornisdriedbythesun inavillagenearGaomicountryhasgrownmorecornthanrice.CornproductionhasjumpednearlyinChina'sShandongProvince.125percentoverthepast25years,whilericehasincreasedonly7percent.A tastefor meat is behind the change: A significant portion of its corn is usedtofeed chickens,pigs, andcattleAnotherreasonforcorn'srise:GovernmentincentivesencouragefarmersnearBeijingtogrowcorninsteadofricetoimprovewaterquality.CornCHINA'S CORNAND RICEuseslesswaterthanriceandcreateslessfertilizerrunoff.ThisswitchhasPRODUCTIONMillionsoftonsdecreased pollution inthe city'smajorreservoir and made drinking watersaferforresidents.250CornAccordingtotheWorldBank,Chinaaccountsforabout30percentoftotalRice200global fertilizer consumption. The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture estimatesthatbetween2005-whenthegovernmentstartedasoil-testingprogramthat5givessite-specificfertilizerrecommendationstofarmers-and2011,fertilizelusedroppedby7.7milliontons.Thatpreventedtheemissionof51.8million50tonsofcarbondioxide.China'sapproachtoimprovingitsenvironmentwhilefeedingitscitizens“offersusefullessonsforagricultureandfoodpolicymakers0-19932013globally."says the bank's Juergen Voegele.-KNPHOTO: ED JORCE:FAOSTAT
PHOTO: ED JONES, AFP/GETTY IMAGES. GRAPHIC: NGM ART. SOURCE: FAOSTAT Diets have shifted in China—and so too has its top crop. Since 2011 the country has grown more corn than rice. Corn production has jumped nearly 125 percent over the past 25 years, while rice has increased only 7 percent. A taste for meat is behind the change: A significant portion of its corn is used to feed chickens, pigs, and cattle. Another reason for corn’s rise: Government incentives encourage farmers near Beijing to grow corn instead of rice to improve water quality. Corn uses less water than rice and creates less fertilizer runoff. This switch has decreased pollution in the city’s major reservoir and made drinking water safer for residents. According to the World Bank, China accounts for about 30 percent of total global fertilizer consumption. The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture estimates that between 2005—when the government started a soil-testing program that gives site-specific fertilizer recommendations to farmers—and 2011, fertilizer use dropped by 7.7 million tons. That prevented the emission of 51.8 million tons of carbon dioxide. China’s approach to improving its environment while feeding its citizens “offers useful lessons for agriculture and food policymakers globally,” says the bank’s Juergen Voegele. —KN CHINA Corn Takes the Lead CHINA’S CORN AND RICE PRODUCTION Millions of tons 0 50 100 150 200 250 1993 2013 Corn Rice Harvested corn is dried by the sun in a village near Gaomi, in China’s Shandong Province. The Future of Food
Cargillthr/veHowdoyou supplya nation's new diet?Buildanewsystem.China is theworld's largest producerand consumer of pork,but its ever-increasingdemandforothermeatslikechickenisposingbigobstacles.For the past three decades, the country's poultry consumption has been on the rise,butthechallengetoachievefoodsafetypersists.Cargill hastakenan innovativeapproach to seta newprecedent,developing afully integratedpoultrysupplychainwiththehighestbiosecurityandfoodsafetyprotocols,designedtoaddresscomplexissuesliketraceabilityandcross-contamination.Teamingalarge-scalefacilitywith35farms strategicallylocatedin isolatedareas,Cargill ensuresresponsiblesourcingandpreventspotentialcontaminationfromotheroperations.Notonlyisthesystemdeliveringsafe,responsiblysourcedproductstocustomersandconsumers,it'sbecomeamodel intheeyesofanimalwelfareandsustainabilityorganizationsacrossChina.ExplorehowCargill is helpingtheworldthriveatcargill.com/150150Do ynar of felcinc the
China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of pork, but its ever-increasing demand for other meats like chicken is posing big obstacles. For the past three decades, the country’s poultry consumption has been on the rise, but the challenge to achieve food safety persists. Cargill has taken an innovative approach to set a new precedent, developing a fully integrated poultry supply chain with the highest biosecurity and food safety protocols, designed to address complex issues like traceability and cross-contamination. Teaming a large-scale facility with 35 farms strategically located in isolated areas, Cargill ensures responsible sourcing and prevents potential contamination from other operations. Not only is the system delivering safe, responsibly sourced products to customers and consumers, it’s become a model in the eyes of animal welfare and sustainability organizations across China. Explore how Cargill is helping the world thrive at cargill.com/150 How do you supply a nation’s new diet? Build a new system. TM
EXPLOREHowMilkGoesDownAroundtheWorldGotmilk? If so,youalsomayget stomachpain after youdrinkaglass ofit.That'sbecausemostoftheworld'sadults-an estimated68percent-aren'tabletodigestit.Theirconditioniscommonlycalledlactoseintolerance.Itstemsfromalackoflactase,anenzymethatbreaksdownthemilksugarlactose.Lactaseispresent inyoungchildrenbutweakens inmostpeopleafterweaning,saysevolutionarygeneticistPascaleGerbault.Theenzyme continuestobeproduced,extendingtheabilitytodigestdairy.only insmallerpopulationsofadultsaroundtheglobe.Though what sparked the digestion divide isuncertain,Gerbaultsays,onepattern mayshed light:Milktoleranceinadults ismorecommon inregionswithahistoryofraisingdairymammals,suchascattle,goats,and sheep.-Catherine ZuckermanEUROPEASIAAFRICAactosintoleranceMoreTRScommoncommonAUSTRALIADatacurrentasofJuh2013;nodataforNorthandSouthAmerica.NATIONALGEOGRAPHICMAY2OI5
national geographic • MAY EXPLORE Us ASIA EUROPE AFRICA AUSTRALIA Got milk? If so, you also may get stomach pain after you drink a glass of it. That’s because most of the world’s adults—an estimated 68 percent—aren’t able to digest it. Their condition is commonly called lactose intolerance. It stems from a lack of lactase, an enzyme that breaks down the milk sugar lactose. Lactase is present in young children but weakens in most people after weaning, says evolutionary geneticist Pascale Gerbault. The enzyme continues to be produced, extending the ability to digest dairy, only in smaller populations of adults around the globe. Though what sparked the digestion divide is uncertain, Gerbault says, one pattern may shed light: Milk tolerance in adults is more common in regions with a history of raising dairy mammals, such as cattle, goats, and sheep. —Catherine Zuckerman How Milk Goes Down Around the World Data current as of July 2013; no data for North and South America. Lactose intolerance More common Less common
TheFuture ofFoodThe stories inthis section are partFOODof afive-yearNational Geographicinitiative to showhowwhatweeatmakasuswhoweareFRALLTANDTHEGSOURCES:PASCALEGETSRERTABASEUNIVEFTYCOLLEGE
PHOTO: HENRY HARGREAVES AND CAITLIN LEVIN. MAP: JEROME N. COOKSON, NGM STAFF SOURCES: PASCALE GERBAULT AND THE GLOBAL LACTASE PERSISTENCE ASSOCIATION DATABASE, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON The Future of Food The stories in this section are part of a five-year National Geographic initiative to show how what we eat makes us who we are
EXPLOREeAncientWorldsSRThekitcheninthismurafromavillainPompeiiisstockedwithararefoodthrushes, andacommonone, eggs.Pheasant dumplings.Ostrich stew.Roasted flamingo. Recipes surviving fromFeasts ofancient Rome suggest that such delicacies may have been served at posh ban-quets.However,archaeologists who'vepickedthrough the trash heaps ofhis-the Romanstory-dumps,sewers,and cesspits-say such exotic treats wererare then,andRomans generally ate locally sourced foods very similar to what Italians eat todayAtthecoastalsiteofHerculaneum,inasewerthatwasinuseuntilthecat-astrophic volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD.79,archaeologists havefoundawealthofcluestothelocals'diet.Siftingthroughtheremainsofscrapsflusheddownthedrainsofshopsandapartments,they'veidentified114differentfoods-45speciesoffishalone,as wellastracesofpigs,sheep,andchickensanda variety of herbs, fruits, nuts, and grains.IntheruinsofnearbyPompei,theUniversityofWinnipeg'sMichaelMacKin-nonhasstudiedtheleftoversofRomans'favoritemeat:pork.Richandpoorateit,fixedaccordingtotheirmeans,hesays:They'llbothhaveaporkchopontheinplate, but the rich will probably put more expensive spices on it." A R. WillamsMEATMUMMYPrepared asfood foreternity,beef ribs in a coffin wereburied with KingTut's great-grandparents in Egypt in about1350 B.c.Now a study hasidentified the resin used to preserve the meat: sap from trees related tothe pistachio. The sap may also have served as flavoring. "This mummymay show the origins of using it in food," says study co-author SalimaIkram. Today a type of the smoky resin, called mastic, spices up dishesand drinksin countriesaroundtheMediterranean. -ARwPHOTOS:A.ENEGYPTIANMA
PHOTOS: SAMUEL MAGAL, SITES & PHOTOS LTD/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES (TOP); ANNA-MARIE KELLEN, EGYPTIAN MUSEUM, CAIRO Ancient Worlds EXPLORE MEAT MUMMY Prepared as food for eternity, beef ribs in a coffin were buried with King Tut’s great-grandparents in Egypt in about 1350 B.C. Now a study has identified the resin used to preserve the meat: sap from trees related to the pistachio. The sap may also have served as flavoring. “This mummy may show the origins of using it in food,” says study co-author Salima Ikram. Today a type of the smoky resin, called mastic, spices up dishes and drinks in countries around the Mediterranean. —ARW Pheasant dumplings. Ostrich stew. Roasted flamingo. Recipes surviving from ancient Rome suggest that such delicacies may have been served at posh banquets. However, archaeologists who’ve picked through the trash heaps of history—dumps, sewers, and cesspits—say such exotic treats were rare then, and Romans generally ate locally sourced foods very similar to what Italians eat today. At the coastal site of Herculaneum, in a sewer that was in use until the catastrophic volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79, archaeologists have found a wealth of clues to the locals’ diet. Sifting through the remains of scraps flushed down the drains of shops and apartments, they’ve identified 114 different foods—45 species of fish alone, as well as traces of pigs, sheep, and chickens and a variety of herbs, fruits, nuts, and grains. In the ruins of nearby Pompeii, the University of Winnipeg’s Michael MacKinnon has studied the leftovers of Romans’ favorite meat: pork. Rich and poor ate it, fixed according to their means, he says: “They’ll both have a pork chop on their plate, but the rich will probably put more expensive spices on it.” —A. R. Williams Feasts of the Romans The kitchen in this mural from a villa in Pompeii is stocked with a rare food, thrushes, and a common one, eggs