Vegetable Program
Ethnic Crops

Ethnic Crops

A generation ago if you used the term "ethnic" in Massachusetts it would often be understood to refer to Italian-Americans, Irish-Americans, French Canadians, among others. In many cases, those "ethnic" groups have become more assimilated. Today when the term "ethnic" is used it often times refers to the newer immigrant groups coming to the United States, in particular Latinos and Asians.

The immigrant population in the United States has exploded in recent years. The total population of immigrants, defined as people who were born outside of the United States, is estimated to be over 34 million people in 2002. In 2003, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that there are 45 million people who spoke languages other than English at home. These populations are still increasing. The Hispanic population in the US is expected to jump from the current 38 million to 49 million in 2015 and the Asian population, estimated at 12 million in 2003, is expected to grow to over 17 million in 2015 (US Census Bureau).

Massachusetts has also experienced a strong increase in ethnic groups in recent years. Latinos are the largest ethnic minority in the
state with 7.3% of the population, outnumbering African-Americans (6.5%). Asians represent 4.5 % of the total population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Massachusetts has the largest population of Portuguese-speaking people in the United States. This population comprises people from Portugal, the Azores, Cape Verde, and a growing Brazilian population, estimated by the Brazilian Consulate in Boston to be at least 250,000.

This increase in ethnic diversity has brought an explosion in the amount of ethnic foods consumed in the United States in the last 20
years. A 2002 marketing study of the US supermarket industry found that Hispanics, African-Americans, and Asian-Americans account for 37% of all supermarket sales (Grow with America, 2002). This trend represents tremendous opportunities for growers.

World Crops: A Resource on Ethnic Crops

For information on vegetable crops grown throughout the world, how to produce them in the Northeastern United State and what cultures use them, please link to:

www.worldcrops.org

Resources for Farmers

Fact sheets on production and marketing of traditional and ethnic crops. Presented in English, Spanish, Khmer and Hmong.

Resources for Farmers