THE FUTURE OF STAPLE FOODS: THE CASE OF BREAD IN EGYPT

AbstractStaple foods are core components of our diets. In this paper, I look at the outlook for one of the world’s most widely eaten staples— bread—in a country which has one of the highest rates of consumption: Egypt. I examine, first, the wheat from which bread is made, looking at developments in Egyptian wheat farming, including efforts to breed new varieties, introduce water-saving planting techniques, and expand cultivation into the desert, as well as changing patterns of wheat imports. Second, I address shifts in the nature of bread in Egypt, examining alterations in the composition, size, and price of the government subsidized bread. Finally, I probe the question of whether Egyptians might eat less bread in the future. Through this analysis, I show how staples offer an apt lens through which to think about the cultural, ecological, and political dimensions of food and its future geographies. Keywords: crop breeding, farming, food security, subsidized bread, wheat.DisclaimerAs a service to authors and researchers we are providing this version of an accepted manuscript (AM). Copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proofs will be undertaken on this manuscript before final publication of the Version of Record (VoR). During production and pre-press, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal relate to these versions also. Notes1. I focus here on the future of baladi bread, but local food activists in Egypt are also concerned about the future of other kinds of bread that have traditionally been baked around the country, which they fear are dying out.Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the ACLS.