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The Land Institute pioneers a new paradigm that challenges our current destructive agriculture model: switching annual grain cropping to ecologically intensified perennial polycultures that mimic natural systems. By working with nature, The Land Institute is proving it’s possible to provide staple food sources without destroying our ecological systems and natural resources that we desperately depend on. Through breeding and development of perennial grains, The Land Institute is changing the way we grow and think about our food, pushing the limits of what it means to be sustainable.
Led by Lee DeHaan, The Land Institute’s breeding program for intermediate wheatgrass works to develop perennial grain crops that are productive year after year and beneficial for the environment. After several rounds of selection for the best plants based on traits like yield, seed size, and disease resistance, the perennial grain Kernza® was developed. Related to annual wheat, Kernza is a domesticated perennial grain originating from a forage grass called intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium). Photo courtesy of The Land Institute
In order to produce our population’s food supply, farmers need to till the soil, plant seed, and suppress weed competition by plowing or applying chemical herbicide. This annual constant disturbance of the soil can lead to erosion, carbon loss and nutrient depletion. Perennial grains offer an innovative solution to these current large-scale agricultural challenges. With an impressive root system reaching up to 10 feet — more than two times the length of annual wheat during seasonal comparisons — Kernza improves soil structure through stabilization, nutrient and water retention, and carbon sequestration.Photo courtesy of The Land Institute
