"Over 70% of the food calories that feed humanity come from annual grain crops, which occupy 60–80% of global croplands. However, annual grain dominance may be changing.

With support from The Land Institute, researchers in China’s Yunnan Province developed a new high-yielding, long-lived perennial rice in a relatively short two-decade timeframe, achieving comparable yields to annual rice varieties. The crop’s development was backed with scientific expertise and seed funding from The Land Institute and a global network of researchers. “Since perennial rice can produce yields over eight consecutive harvests similar to annual rice, this is direct evidence that developing perennial versions of grain crops is feasible,” says Lee DeHaan, PhD, Director of Crop Improvement and Lead Scientist of the Kernza® Domestication Program at The Land Institute."

Published by the Land Institute