Sugar cane is a tall perennial grass that is cultivated for its sucrose content. It originated in India and was initially used for medicinal purposes and religious ceremonies before it was refined into crystals for trade. Today, sugar cane is one of the world's largest crops by production quantity and Brazil is the largest producer. While sugar provides little nutritional value, it is widely used to sweeten foods and beverages and Americans consume nearly a pound of sugar every 2.5 days on average. The cultivation of sugar cane can impact the environment through soil erosion and agrochemical use, but better management practices like reducing burning can improve soil quality over the long term.

1. Sugar Cane
by Theresa Thao Nguyen

2. Characteristics
A tall perennial true grass &
thrives in warm temperate
and tropical regions.
Belongs to the grass family
(Poaceae), an economically
important seed plant family
that includes maize, wheat,
rice, and sorghum and
many forage crops.

3. Characteristics
The main product of
sugarcane is sucrose, which
accumulates in the stalk
internodes.
Sucrose, extracted and
purified in specialized mill
factories, is used as raw
material in human food
industries or is fermented to
produce ethanol.

4. Origin
Sugar as we know today is made by boiling the stems
of the plant Saccharum officinarum
“Sugar” can be traced back to Arabic (sukkar) and
Sanskrit (sarkara)
It originated in
India.

5. Uses
It was initially used for
religious ceremonies as a
medicine to treat ailments
ranging from leprosy to
gallstones

6. Sugar Products
Today it’s used to mainly used to
sweeten food & beverages such as:
• Pastries, cakes, cookies
• Chocolate, candies
• Sodas
• Syrups & sauces
• In Costa Rica, coffee and “Agua
dulce”
• Basically everything you eat.

7. Sugar Production
Around 500 BC, residents of
India began to make sugar
syrup, which was then cooled in
larger flat bowls to make
crystals, called “khandra” or
candy.
These crystals were ideal for
trade and transport.
By the sixth century A.D., sugar
production has spread from
India to China and Persia.
Before
Today

8. When the Arabs conquered Mesopotamia, they also gained access to
sugar production technology that was subsequently by the Moors
throughout Northern Africa, Sicily, the Middle East and Spain.
However, it was the Crusades that created demand for sugar in modern
Europe, the main port being Genoa and Venice.
Eventually, the Spaniards brought over the production of sugar to the
New World.
Increasing Global Demand

9. The main source of labor until the abolition of slavery was
African slaves. These plantations produced 80 to 90
percent of the sugar consumed in Western Europe from the
17th to 20th century.
Sugar, more
than any other
crop,
encouraged the
rapid expansion
of the slave
trade.

10. What is the nutritional value of sugar?

11. Nothing.

12. No benefits
No protein, no enzyme,
no healthy fats or
nutrients!
Contributes to health
problems, such as
diabetes and cavities.
It’s addictive!

13. Okay , maybe if you had a bad break-up, ice
cream can do you some good.
Exception

14. But remember.

15. You’re awesome!
You don’t need sugar.

16. It’s everywhere!
Although sugar has very little nutritional value, it is found in
almost all processed foods.

17. In great quantities!
Sugar makes up 20% of all calories consumed by Americans,
who eat nearly half a kilogram (a pound) on average every 2.5
days.

18. Exporters/Importers
Principal exporting
countries: Brazil,
Australia, Thailand,
Cuba, South Africa &
Guatemala
Principal importing
countries: Russia,
Indonesia, Japan,
Korea & the United
States

19. Production Quantity
Sugarcane is the world's
largest crop by production
quantity.
In 2012, FAO estimates it was
cultivated on about 26.0 million
hectares, in more than 90
countries, with a worldwide
harvest of 1.83 billion tons.
Brazil is the largest producer of
sugar cane, mainly ethanol, in
the world.

20. Major Environmental
Impacts
Soil erosion &
degradation
Agrochemical use
Organic matter from
processing effluents

21. Potential to Improve
Is poor
The price is too low to
improve industry or genetics
Subsidies for sugar beets
and cane as well as market
barriers in developed
countries are disincentives
for producers to change their
waysImproving the quality of
soil

22. What’s needed?

23. Better Management
Practices
Aim to improve the
quality of soil and reduce
soil erosion to ensure
long-term production
with the use of fewer
inputs

24. How can producers
improve quality of soil?
By not burning sugar
fields prior to harvest will
increase organic matter in
soil.

25. The benefits of building up
organic matter in soil
Reduces need for
pesticides, fertilizers and
water which cause soil
erosion.
Harvest at least 5% more
of sugar that had been
lost as a result of
burning.

26. and more benefits!
Fields that are not burned build
up more than 20 metric tons of
organic matter per hectare
from the leaves that are left in
the field. Spraying the cane
debris with microorganisms
can hasten decomposition and
integrate nutrients into the soil
over a short period of time!

27. Citations
Clay, Jason. 2004. “World Agriculture and
Environment: A Commodity-by-Commodity Guide
to Impacts and Practices.” Washington, Covelo &
London: Island Press.

28. Thank you!