Innis pointed out, for example, that as furs became scarce and trade in that staple declined, it became necessary to develop and export other staples such as wheat, potash and especially lumber.
It could be counted as collateral damage from western sanctions that have left Iran's economy so stressed the authorities are considering banning exports of staples such as rice and wheat in order to boost emergency stockpiles.
Subsidised western-grown crops have been dumped wholesale to undermine local food production; barriers to markets have been torn down to allow the EU and US to better export their staple crops; diets have been undermined and changed; food aid has been shipped in vast quantities; and now Britain and the US want GM foods to be grown in every country.
Syria's modest oil exports, the staple of government revenue, have virtually dried up.Many Syrians are convinced that, eventually, Mr Assad will go.
The cultivation for export of agricultural staples, principally cacao (the source of cocoa beans) and indigo, by Indian or African slave labour was the major economic activity, exclusive of production for subsistence.
Rebuilding and modernizing agriculture to grow staples and export products like coffee and mangoes would mean food, cash and employment.
As Howard French described, in The Atlantic, in a terrific piece in May, large Chinese-run farms designed to export rice and other staples to China are one of the new and least-understood elements of China's push into Africa.
The export of these new staples was made possible through improved transportation networks that included first canals, and later, railways.
The recession has made one American staple an export hit: le comfort food.
The world's appetite for personal computers, a staple Taiwan export, is waning.
