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Separating the Wheat from the Chaff: The Social Worlds of Wheat

Separating the Wheat from the Chaff: The Social Worlds of Wheat Wheat is one of the world’s most widely grown, traded, and consumed crops. This article reviews the interdisciplinary literature on human-wheat interactions, tracing how various actors engage with wheat up until its point of consumption. I look first at wheat as a seed, examining efforts to transform wheat over time through farmer selection and scientific breeding, and the emergence of high-yielding wheat, hybrid wheat, and genetically modified wheat. Second, I look at wheat as a plant and what it means to farm wheat. I highlight two key dimensions of farmer-wheat interactions—farmers’ choice of variety and their management of risk. Finally, I look at wheat as a grain and the practices of transportation, sorting, and trade that mediate flows of harvested grain from field to market. Through reviewing these three areas of literature, the article reveals the social worlds that both shape and are shaped by this globally significant crop. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Environment and Society Berghahn Books

Separating the Wheat from the Chaff: The Social Worlds of Wheat

Barnes, Jessica
Environment and Society , Volume 7 (1): 18 – Sep 1, 2016
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Publisher
Berghahn Books
Copyright
© Berghahn Books
ISSN
2150-6779
eISSN
2150-6787
DOI
10.3167/ares.2016.070106
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Wheat is one of the world’s most widely grown, traded, and consumed crops. This article reviews the interdisciplinary literature on human-wheat interactions, tracing how various actors engage with wheat up until its point of consumption. I look first at wheat as a seed, examining efforts to transform wheat over time through farmer selection and scientific breeding, and the emergence of high-yielding wheat, hybrid wheat, and genetically modified wheat. Second, I look at wheat as a plant and what it means to farm wheat. I highlight two key dimensions of farmer-wheat interactions—farmers’ choice of variety and their management of risk. Finally, I look at wheat as a grain and the practices of transportation, sorting, and trade that mediate flows of harvested grain from field to market. Through reviewing these three areas of literature, the article reveals the social worlds that both shape and are shaped by this globally significant crop.

Journal

Environment and Society – Berghahn Books

Published: Sep 1, 2016

References

  • ‘Whoever Eats You is No Longer Hungry, Whoever Sees You Becomes Humble’: Bread and Identity in Lebanon
    Kanafani-Zahar