Corn, rice and wheat are the most important food plants in the world, when looking at the total amount produced and the monetary value of their production. Other important food plants include sorghum, millet, sugar cane and many grasses and legumes. 

Corn is grown in large fields in regions that range from the tropical zone to the temperate zone. Corn production has grown significantly during the last couple of decades. The most important corn-farming regions are the prairies of the United States and China.

Corn is a very productive food crop. Most of the corn produced in the world is used as food for livestock. Corn is also used to make corn syrup and ethanol.


Corn farming in Italy.

The monsoon climate regions of South and East Asia are the among the most densely populated areas on the planet. The same regions are also the primary producers of rice in the world. Rice feeds the largest amount of people on the planet, forming the basis of the Asian diet.

Rice is a swamp grass that is grown in partially submerged fields. That is why rice farming is a perfect livelihood in the monsoon climate region, which receives a large amount of rainfall each year.


Rice farming requires a lot of warmth and rain. Harvesting it also requires a lot of human labor.

Wheat is the most common cereal on the planet. It is used to produce a variety of products, including bread flour, semolina, bran, flakes and couscous. Wheat flour is the main ingredient in white bread. Different kinds of pasta (such as macaroni and spaghetti) are also made from wheat flour.


Wheat is the most significant cultivated plant on the planet.

Sugar cane is grown in the tropical and subtropical zones. The largest producers of cane sugar are Brazil, China and India.

Like other globally significant cultivated plants, sugar cane is primarily grown in large plantations. A large part of the yield is refined into sugar and ethanol.


Sugar cane is used to produce sugar. 

Soy is a legume that thrives in warm climates. In recent years, the global soy production has increased significantly due to it being used as food for livestock. Soy is notable for its high protein concentration. It is also used to make various human foods, such as tofu.

When the productivity of a cultivated plant is measured in yield per hectare, the most productive plants are tuberous root plants. An example of such a plant is potato, which can yield over 30 tons per hectare. Sweet potato and manioc are tuberous plants that are widely grown in the tropical and subtropical zones.

A potato field. Tubers are planted in the soil during the spring. The tubers grow into plants that produce more tubers.