Global grain gains despite U.S. drought.

• Position: Your Life - Statistical data

Despite soaring temperatures and a severe drought in the U.S., global grain production is expected to reach a record high of 2,400,000,000 tons in 2012, an increase of one percent from 2011 levels, according to research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet project, Washington, D.C.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that the production of grain for animal feed is growing the fastest--a 2.1% increase from 2011. Grain for direct human consumption grew 1.1%. In 2011, the amount of grain used for food totaled 571,000,000 tons, with India consuming 89,000,000; China, 87,000,-000; and the U.S., 28,000,000, reports the International Grains Council.

The world relies heavily on wheat, maize (corn), and rice for daily sustenance: of the 50,000 edible plants in the world, these three grains account for two-thirds of global food energy intake. Grains provide the majority of calories in diets worldwide, ranging from a 23% share in the U.S. to 60% in Asia and 62% in North Africa.

Maize production in the U.S.--which outputs the greatest volume--was expected to reach a record 345,000,-000 tons in 2012; however, drought in the Great Plains has altered this estimate severely. Maize yields for the 2012-13 growing season now are expected to decrease 13% from 2011 production, for a total production of 274,300,000 tons.

The reliance on grain crops for food security is threatened by more-extreme climatic events, especially floods and droughts. The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction, the World Programme, and Oxfam International maintain that some 375,000,000 people will be affected by climate change-related disasters by...