A grain crop such as wheat, rice, or maize grown for food.
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Cereals are grasses of the family Poaceae cultivated for their edible starchy grains, which form the foundation of the human diet worldwide. The major cereals are wheat, rice, and maize, followed by barley, sorghum, millet, oats, and rye. Domestication began around 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent with wheat and barley, independently in China with rice and millet, and in Mesoamerica with maize. Cereal grains are rich in carbohydrates and provide roughly half of global dietary energy. They are processed into flour, bread, pasta, noodles, rice, and porridge, and are also used for animal feed, brewing, and industrial products. The Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s dramatically increased cereal yields through high-yielding dwarf varieties, irrigation, and fertilisers, saving millions from famine. Major exporters include the United States, Russia, Canada, France, and Ukraine. Cereals are stored in silos and granaries and are subject to pests, moulds, and mycotoxins. Global production exceeds 2.8 billion tonnes annually.
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