Developing countries are home about 80% to the world’s population. For example, the population of China and India alone are approximately 1.35 bn and 1.25 bn respectively. According to a research report John McArthur and Krista Rasmussen of Brookings, 98% of world’s hungry people live in the developing countries. 78% of the harvested croplands are also in these countries.

1.The following chart shows the types of food grown in developing countries:

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Data Source: Authors’ calculations based on FAO data

Cereals are the most common crop grown in most of the countries. Argentina and Brazil are large growers are oil crops like soy.

2. The type of cereal grown by region:

Geography plays an important role in determining the type of cereal grown. Wheat is grown mainly in Europe and Central Asia while rice is the top cereal grown in tropical environments like South and South East Asia.

3. Cash crops grown by region:

The majority of the cash crops grown mostly in certain parts of the emerging world. For instance, Latin American and the Caribbean are major producers of sugar, coffee, and cocoa. A few West African countries thrive in the production of cocoa which is used in the manufacture of chocolates. Countries in the South East Asia such as Malaysia are major producers of oil palm which is used as a substitute for vegetable or peanut oil.

Source: Where does the world’s food grow? by John McArthur and Krista Rasmussen of The Brookings Institution