A little wonder, every day

Food plants: more than 6,000 species

Field of wheat.. Original file: [Field of wheat - geograph.org.uk - 222802.jpg](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AField_of_wheat_-_geograph.org.uk_-_222802.jpg). Creator: Linda Bailey. License: CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0). Attribution: Linda Bailey. Downloaded from the verified Commons file page; unaltered image. Checked 2026-10-25.

Wheat crop field on the former Flixton airfield. Original file: [Wheat crop field on the former Flixton airfield - geograph.org.uk - 3989359.jpg](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AWheat_crop_field_on_the_former_Flixton_airfield_-_geograph.org.uk_-_3989359.jpg). Creator: Evelyn Simak. License: CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0). Attribution: Wheat crop field on the former Flixton airfield by Evelyn Simak. Downloaded from the verified Commons file page; unaltered image. Checked 2026-10-25.

1 / 2

Field of wheat.. Original file: [Field of wheat - geograph.org.uk - 222802.jpg](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AField_of_wheat_-_geograph.org.uk_-_222802.jpg). Creator: Linda Bailey. License: CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0). Attribution: Linda Bailey. Downloaded from the verified Commons file page; unaltered image. Checked 2026-10-25.

Listen to fact0:00 / —

Across history, people have cultivated more than 6,000 plant species for food. Today, fewer than 200 make a significant contribution to food production, and nine crops account for about 66% of global crop production. Food diversity is therefore much broader than the handful of crops grown at the largest scale.