Politics and Food
How individual Nations ⚔️influenced global food trends
Did you know carrots were originally purple or white? I only found out recently, and I am still reeling in disbelief. So why are they orange you ask, a number of reasons, that’s why. According to Phillip Simon, a research geneticist who has studied carrots for over four decades, “There’s no good biological reason for carrots to be orange except one,” he said. “And it’s that people have been diddling around with carrots for 1,000 years." Knowingly or otherwise farmers’ practices led to the selection of the mutation that concentrated carotenoids in the carrot root. Based on available data, this carrot mutation is more nutritious and has the vitamins that helps our eyes, immune systems and other organs.
The earliest evidence of carrot cultivation is in the Iranian Plateau and the Persian empire during the 10th century. In what is now modern day Afghanistan, farming practices from centuries ago led to a change in color of the wild carrot from white to yellow. And centuries later, carrot cultivation in Europe led to further darkening of the color from yellow to dark orange. History also suggests carrots were painted yellow before the 16th century and then later orange. This was to honor the current reigning house in The Netherlands, the Orange-Nassau dynasty, with painters using the trend in The Netherlands’ art world to show support to the family.
Taking our eyes away from carrots (my attempt at a carrot joke) let’s explore wheat, one of the most political commodities in the world. It’s been grown for more than 10,000 years with its earliest cultivation estimated to be in the Fertile Crescent regions around 9600 BCE. In what is now modern day Turkey, farming practices influenced the threshing, spike size, growing season, plant height and grain size of wheat. Unlike carrots, wheat has been intentionally positioned as a political tool. Socrates is known for saying “Nobody is qualified to become a statesman who is entirely ignorant of the problem of wheat.” Policy and trade restrictions have been used to influence the production of wheat throughout Modern History.
Wheat played an important role in the diet of the Roman Empire who had an influence on its production at the peak of its reign. In the 18th century, the Corn Laws of Britain (including wheat, oats and barley) influenced the production of wheat in Europe and Britain’s colonies. In the mid to late 19th century, the global grain trade of wheat was dominated by North America, Europe and Australia. This was influenced by the Cold War and the United States Food and Fuel Control act. Post Cold War, surplus wheat exports become an important part of the USA’s international trade, foreign policy and food aid program. William Duffus, a notable academic, wrote an interesting paper on Government Control of the Wheat Trade in the United States.
In recent years however, Russia and Ukraine emerged as the largest exporters of wheat. This change has influenced the power balance in the West, and the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on global food trade is just a glimpse to the role of politics in food security. To ensure food supply is not influenced by any one nation, it is important to diversify food sources. I mean what’s all the fuss about wheat when there are so many other alternatives! How about sorghum, millet, fonio and cassava? These are just some of the lost crops of Africa. Not only will the diversification of food supply reduce food insecurity some of these grains like fonio and cassava are better alternatives for a gluten free diet!
Developing capacity in regenerative agriculture that will guarantee food supply and conserve the environment has never been more important. Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founding father of the UAE, is known for saying “Grant me agriculture and I shall guarantee civilization for you.”, and I couldn’t agree more. So next time you take a bite into your food, know that your action goes beyond nourishment, it might be political!
