Kansas State University Receives $22 Million from USAID to Enhance Climate Resilience of Major Cereals

Kansas State University has secured a $22 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to embark on a groundbreaking initiative aimed at bolstering the climate resilience of some of the world's most-consumed cereals. The project, known as the Feed the Future Climate Resilient Cereals Innovation Lab (CRCIL), will primarily focus on enhancing the genetic makeup of millet, wheat, rice, and sorghum to make them more readily available to individuals vulnerable to food shortages and malnutrition.

The central objective of this initiative is to sustainably double food production by the year 2050. However, this mission is met with significant challenges, including diminishing and deteriorating arable land, dwindling water resources, and increasingly adverse climatic conditions, which are exacerbating crop losses due to pests and diseases.

CRCIL is poised to leverage the resources of the U.S. land-grant system and a global network of partners to fortify the resilience of cereal germplasm, ultimately fortifying global food and nutritional security and promoting prosperity and security on a global scale. Professor Jagger Harvey, a research professor at K-State's Department of Plant Pathology and a CRCIL director, expressed gratitude for USAID's generous support and highlighted the collaborative efforts between a diverse consortium of scientists and experts.

The CRCIL consortium features U.S. university partners, including K-State, Clemson, Cornell, Delaware State, Louisiana State, and Florida, as well as international partners in South Asia, Eastern and Western Africa, and Latin America. Additional support is provided by RTI International, the African Women in Agricultural Research for Development, and Seeds2B.

Each partner brings valuable expertise and leadership in various scientific domains, enabling partner country breeders to intensify their efforts in enhancing the climate resilience of cereals.

Kansas, renowned as the breadbasket of the U.S. and the largest wheat producer in the country, is no stranger to the challenges presented by climate change. Rising temperatures, increased water demand, unpredictable rainfall, and declining groundwater levels are threatening the historical gains in productivity, rendering fields more unpredictable. Farmers in Kansas are exploring strategies to increase the resilience of their farms, including the adoption of crops with lower water requirements.

The $22 million award, which has a potential total of $37 million, will be utilized to support advanced plant-breeding technologies, encompassing phenotyping with unmanned aerial vehicles, next-generation DNA sequencing and genotyping, crop modeling, AI simulations, and accelerated breeding programs worldwide. The research aims to enhance germplasm resilience to abiotic stresses (such as drought and heat), biotic stresses (disease), and meet consumer preferences for safe and nutritious food.

The next-generation seeds developed through this initiative will become accessible to cereal breeders and, ultimately, to farmers worldwide, particularly in developing countries severely impacted by the climate crisis. East Africa, for example, is currently facing its worst drought in four decades, displacing millions and endangering many with famine. Geopolitical instability, such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, further exacerbates global food security by reducing the availability of cereals to developing nations.

More than 50% of the world's caloric intake is derived from cereals. Therefore, CRCIL is dedicated to identifying and utilizing genetic diversity to enhance both farmers' production and consumer acceptance of these essential cereals.

CRCIL marks the fifth innovation lab award received by K-State through Feed the Future, the U.S. government's initiative for global hunger and food security. Over the past decade, USAID has invested nearly $128 million in K-State innovation labs to advance research in sustainable intensification, sorghum and millet, post-harvest loss, and wheat genomics.

Ernie Minton, the Eldon Gideon Dean of K-State's College of Agriculture, emphasized the university's transformative role in the world and Kansas, as K-State evolves into a next-generation university. K-State Distinguished Professor Eduard Akhunov and the Wheat Genetics Resource Center will contribute expertise in genomics, bioinformatics, and genome editing to this pioneering project.

Dina Esposito, Feed the Future Deputy Coordinator and USAID's Assistant to the Administrator for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security, reiterated the significance of the work in generating a pipeline of climate-adapted crops, reinforcing the resilience of small-scale farmers, and addressing their current and future needs. USAID remains committed to its partnership with Kansas State University through the Feed the Future Innovation Labs, a vital collaboration driving innovative solutions to combat hunger and poverty worldwide.