Importance of science and collaboration in addressing food security:

The role of the Wheat Initiative

Teresa Saavedra-Bravo

Programme Manager of the Wheat Initiative Berlin, Germany

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AMONG SO MANY CROPS, WHY WHEAT?

Wheat plays a special role in global food security since it

• Is the world’s most important food crop
• Provides 20% of all calories and 20% of all protein in developing and developed countries
• Is the most traded crop
• Has an average global yield increase from 1 to 3.5 tonne per hectare since 1960

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Although, these gains are threatened by:

• climate change
• rapidly rising financial and environmental costs of fertilizer, and pesticides,
• declines in water availability for irrigation in many regions.

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THE CHALLENGE: IMPROVING WHEAT PRODUCTIVITY, QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

• Demand will increase by 60% by 2050, while yields are stagnating

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• Wheat is particularly susceptible to climate change

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• 7% decline in yield per degree increased temperature

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Total Factor Productivity (TFP) is a ratio that measures changes in how efficiently agricultural inputs (land, labor, fertilizer, feed, machinery and livestock) are transformed into outputs. 

TFP rises when producers use technologies and production practices that result in more output from existing resources.

The Global Agricultural Productivity Index: https://globalagriculturalproductivity.org/data-resources/

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WHEAT INITIATIVE

Wheat´s importance for food security was recognised in 2011 by the Chief Agricultural Scientists of the G20 group of countries when they endorsed the establishment of the Wheat Initiative (WI).

The Wheat Initiative is hosted at the Julius Kühn Institute in Berlin through support for the German Ministry for Food and Agriculture.

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THE WHEAT INITIATIVE TASKS ARE:

• To provide a framework to establish strategic research and organisation priorities for wheat research at the international level in both developed and developing countries.
• To foster communication between the research community, funders and global policy makers.

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AIMS:

• Securing efficient and long-term investments to meet wheat research and development goals.
• Initiating and supporting the wheat research community to enhance communication and increase access for all to information, resources and technologies.
• Helping build the capacity to address challenges facing production in an increasingly variable environment.

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MEMBERS

Member countries, observer countries

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Private companies

International Research Centres

Australia

Canada

China

France

Germany

Ireland

Italy

Japan

Morocco

Turkey

UK

Uruguay

USA

Argentina

Brazil

India

Russia

Spain

Hungary

Korea, Rep.

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1. RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY DELIVERY CAPABILITIES

• Boost research and technology delivery capabilities by investing in staff and student training

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• Support the exchange of personnel between research organisations and build research infrastructure.

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• Financial and organisational support from national agencies to research groups seeking participation in international partnerships.

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2. SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES

• Provide support, both financial and organisational, to international activities to facilitate exchange of resources, particularly germplasm, and support the evaluation and delivery of research outcomes.

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• Efficient evaluation and delivery of technologies from diverse sources through germplasm evaluation and distribution capabilities, or hubs

For example, CIMMYT, ICARDA and the International Wheat Yield Partnership.

HOW?

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3. ACCESS TO INFORMATION ON WHEAT

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www.wheatis.org

Provide a single-access web based system to available data resources and bioinformatics tools.

WHEATIS

WHEATVIVO

wheatvivo.org

Open-access web portal providing information on wheat researchers and projects globally across the public-private wheat community.

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EXPERT WORKING GROUPS

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WHEAT INITIATIVE

• Adaptation of Wheat to Abiotic Stress
• Control of Wheat Pathogens
• Control of Wheat Pests
• Durum Wheat Genomics and Breeding
• Global Wheat Germplasm Conservation and Use Community
• Improving Wheat Quality for processing and health
• Nutrient Use Efficiency in Wheat
• Wheat Agronomy
• Wheat Breeding Methods and Strategies
• Wheat Information System
• Wheat Phenotyping to Support Wheat Improvement

Organised around three major committees:

• Research Committee
• Institutions’ Coordination Committee
• Scientific Board.

Early Career Researchers

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Alliance for �Wheat Adaptation to Heat and Drought

• Weather extremes are becoming more common
• A global effort is needed to match modern crop cultivation to the challenges of climate change!

VISION:

• Develop and deliver new technologies
• Ensure wheat varieties and agronomic practices meet challenges of hot and dry environments

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MISSION:

• Inform and exchange new germplasm, technologies and ideas
• Build capacity for research and technology delivery to all regions

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• Provide a framework for effective investment
• Engage the global wheat R&D community to promote collaboration and information sharing

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www.ahead-wheat.org

@AHEAD_wheat

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WORKING TOGETHER

The Wheat Initiative´s Strategic Research Agenda

• Highlights the current global wheat research challenges and potential scientific solutions.
• It is the result of combined efforts of leading wheat researchers, government and industry representatives to identify the best options to advance food security and provide safe and nutritious wheat.

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Published by: Agronomy 2022, 12(11), 2767 https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12112767

“Meeting the Challenges Facing Wheat Production: The Strategic Research Agenda of the Global Wheat Initiative”

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HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE?

• Join our Expert Working Groups:

https://www.wheatinitiative.org/expert-working-groups-2

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• Join our Early Career Researchers (max. 5 years in scientific position since completing PhD) https://www.wheatinitiative.org/early-career-researchers

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• Participate in our alliances:
• IWYP - The International Wheat Yield Partnership (boosting wheat yield potential)
• AHEAD - Alliance for Wheat Adaptation to Heat and Drought (producing heat and drought tolerant germplasm)
• WATCH-A - Wheat Initiative Crop Health Alliance (diagnosis and monitoring of wheat diseases).

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• Become a country, organization or industry member of the WI and be part of its Institutions’ Coordination Committee and Research Committee.

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Help us build capabilities and resources

to address global research challenges.

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Wheat Initiative | Königin-Luise-Straße 19 | 14195 Berlin | Germany

E: wheat.initiative@julius-kuehn.de

W: www.wheatinitiative.org

wheatinitiative.org

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@WheatInitiative

Thank you!

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