b'The wheat genome is complexcanResources Institute (WRI), the reality is that agriculture occupies we figure it out in time to feed a growinghalf the worlds vegetated land. That means for agriculture, the sheer task of feeding the world is a huge challenge for biodiver-world population? sity and ecosystemsespecially since agriculture produces a quarter of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions.Marc Zienkiewicz mzienkiewicz@issuesink.com Searchinger presented the WRIs recent report Creating a Sustainable Food Future, for which he was lead author. It is laid out as a five-course menu of solutions to ensure we can feed A HALF-CENTURY AGO,human beings took their first10 billion people by 2050 without increasing emissions, fueling steps on the moon. deforestation or exacerbating poverty. At first, its hard to imagine what that has to do with wheat,Searchinger noted that between 2010 and 2050, food pro-but for attendees of the first International Wheal Congress heldduction must rise 56% in order to feed a growing population in Saskatoon, Sask. earlier this year, the connection was apt.and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two-thirds in the I was 12 years old when that happened. Being a young childprocess.and seeing this on a small black-and-white TV was impressive,Wheat can play a huge role in that, he said.said Martin Kropff, director-general of the International MaizeAccording to the report, to provide continuing yield gains, and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), who spoke on thebreeding will need to become more nuanced. opening day of the congress. Two men walked on the moon,In the past, much yield gain in the major cereals like wheat but the fact is, the moon landing was the result of 500,000resulted from shifting biomass from vegetative parts to seeds people working together. and shortening and stiffening of the stems so they could support If we can put a man on the moon, we can solve 800 millionmore grain (resulting from higher fertilizer application) without people going to bed hungry every day. Wheat is a crucial part offalling over. These traits, which were largely responsible for the that challenge. Green Revolution, are in some cases reaching their biological Hosted by the University of Saskatchewan, the event broughtlimits; crops can only grow so close to one another before they together 900 researchers, agronomists and other scientists fromhave no more space, and crops can only direct so much of their 50 countries to talk about all things T. aestivum and T. turgidum. growth into edible portions before they will no longer stand The challenges ahead were the main focus as attendeesupright, the reports authors state. zeroed in on the fact the world population is growing and moreThese limits, plus the need to boost crop yields even faster food is needed, specifically cerealswhich Kropff said willthan in historical trends, present the crop breeding challenge.comprise a third of all calories and protein in the human diet inAs a result, four major related opportunities exist to increase the future. crop yields through improved breeding: speeding up crop But for food prices to remain constant, annual yield gains inbreeding cycles, marker-assisted and genomics-assisted breed-wheat would have to increase from 1.2 to 1.7%. ing, improvement of orphan crops, and genetic modification. Thats no small challenge, Kropff added. Searchinger emphasized that all these technologies play a role in creating new wheat for the world.Feeding the World Without Destroying It Thats why were here. The work youre doing is incredibly As noted by Tim Searchinger, senior fellow at the Worldimportant, he said, and added that four recommendations to 122/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2019'