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Corn and potatoes each produce around 15 million calories per acre; rice only hits about 11 million. Wheat is significantly worse, at ~4 million.
by Armisael16 7y ago
Corn and potatoes each produce around 15 million calories per acre; rice only hits about 11 million. Wheat is significantly worse, at ~4 million.
- jandrese 7y agoThe big difference with rice is that you aren't dependent on the weather nearly as much as you are with corn and potatoes. Corn and Potatoes put out more calories per acre when the rains fall at the right times in the right amounts, but rice puts out those calories regardless of the weather. Ultimately you can only sustain a population as large as your food output at the end of a two or thee year long drought.
- Merrill 7y agoThe introduction of potatoes led to a rapid population increase in Europe during the first half of the 19th century. https://www.history-magazine.com/potato.html https://www.history-magazine.com/potato.html Sugar cane and sweet potatoes also produce similar calories per acre, depending on the soil, climate, etc. Sugar also has the advantage of being durable to ship. It could be produced in high volumes on tropical plantations and shipped to Europe. Before bulk ocean shipping of food, population was generally limited by calorie production in the local area.