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Solving the Maize: A Big History of Food Complexity (10:10)

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.

Key Ideas

Think about the following questions as you watch the video


  1. 01:18 How has the Russian invasion of Ukraine caused food shortages in other regions of the world?
  2. 02:35 Where and when did humans begin cultivating maize?
  3. 04:54 How did maize transform societies in both the Americas and Afro-Eurasia?
  4. 07:17 How has maize become an essential crop in our world, today?
  5. 08:48 How might maize/corn help sustain food production in our era of climate change?
  6. 10:05 What does Michael Blake mean when he says, “Humans grow maize and maize grows humans”?