May 13th, 2015
Increasing homogeneity in global food supplies and the implications for food security
Published by PNAS, January 29th, 2014
This article (PDF) in PNAS by a group of researchers provides evidence of change in the relative importance of different crop plants in national food supplies worldwide over the past 50 years. Trends in the richness, abundance, and composition of crop species in national food supplies worldwide were assessed. The study shows that over the years, national food supplies worldwide became more similar in composition. These changes in food supplies heighten interdependence among countries in regard to availability and access to these food sources and the genetic resources supporting their production, and give further urgency to nutrition development priorities aimed at bolstering food security.