Introduction to Agricultural Commodity Systems

Feeding our globally expanding population is one of the most critical challenges of our time and improving food and agricultural production efficiencies is a key factor in solving this problem. Currently, one-third of food produced for humans is wasted, and for every pound of food produced, roughly an equal amount of nonfood by-product is also generated, creating a significant environmental impact. Provides production-through-processing coverage of key agricultural crops for a thorough understanding and translational inspiration Describes and discusses major by-product sources, including physical and chemical biomass characterizations and associated variability in detail Highlights conversions accomplished through physical, biological, chemical, or thermal methods and demonstrates examples of those technologies.The book develops and applies analytical tools for decision-making and problem-solving, while integrating various approaches to food marketing systems. In this way, it enables students to evaluate the performance of these systems, as well as gain an appreciation for marketing and its contribution to economic developments.