Staple foods are those that are eaten regularly, sometimes daily, making up the dominant part of a population’s diet, and supplying a major proportion of a people’s energy and nutritional needs.
In Africa, the main staple foods in the average African diet are cereals, such as maize, millet and sorghum; roots and tubers, including potatoes, and legumes such as beans and cowpeas.
Most staple crops are produced by small scale farmers, in a household based subsistence economy, with their production constrained by a variety of factors, such as insect pests.
For further information, contact:
Researchers:
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Subramanian Sevgan (ssubramania@icipe.org)
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Zeyaur Khan (zkhan@icipe.org)
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Amanuel Tamiru (atamiru@icipe.org)