The Land Institute

This year, we reach out to you with hope rooted in science, community, and the possibility of a healthier planet for us all. Your contributions enable The Land Institute's researchers to support innovative work, like Dr. Alejandro Bonifacio’s efforts in Bolivia to develop perennial quinoa with the potential to feed families while also reducing soil erosion, increasing soil organic matter, and bolstering farmers' resilience. Your advocacy nurtures this hope, allowing us to connect efforts like these into a global network to advance the perennial future. Read more in our 2024 Harvest Letter to see the transformative impact of your generosity and join us in growing hope, one resilient crop at a time. https://lnkd.in/gEQbRiAH

“If all land currently under annual grain crops were converted to perennial agriculture, the soil could accumulate between 0.42 and 1.80 billion tons of carbon each year, for 30 years after conversion. The higher figure would be equivalent to sequestering almost twice the annual emissions of global aviation.” Perennial agriculture has the potential to contribute to significant carbon accumulation in the soil, creating tangible improvements to water quality, nutrient retention, and biodiversity. Learn from The Land Institute’s lead scientists about the benefits of perennial agriculture in the new article from Anthropocene Magazine. https://lnkd.in/gnE_k5jc

“As we adapt to a world with less water, transforming how we eat must include drought-resistant crops. The planting of water-smart crops like perennial grain Kernza has begun in parts of Colorado. Choosing crops like Kernza means choosing a path focused on long-term solutions.” Perennial grains could be a valuable alternative to water-intensive crops grown in water-stressed regions. Multi-year research is underway in Colorado on using Kernza, silflower, and sainfoin as potential dual-use perennial grain and forage crops. Government investment and support for perennial grain growers can facilitate a transition to help maintain production in water-scarce regions. Read the new article from Fast Company to learn more: https://lnkd.in/gCaPjqzy

The Land Institute is hiring a Director of Crop Stewardship to lead strategic and operational efforts in perennial grain food systems, manage a team of innovative researchers, and provide insights into supply chain management to maximize the impact of these emerging crops. Learn more and apply today at https://lnkd.in/gW9zwrW3 to help support critical research to advance perennial grains onto landscapes and food systems through creative collaboration within our growing organization and beyond.

Incentivizing farmers to transition to perennial agriculture will protect our ability to produce food and regenerate soil in a changing climate. Read the new article from Nature to learn how government support for regenerative agriculture is crucial as farmers transition to practices that protect and improve soil health. https://lnkd.in/gy4VjUUu

Congratulations to Patagonia Provisions and Deschutes Brewery for winning GOLD for their Non-Alcoholic Kernza? Golden Brew at the Great American Beer Festival. Proves that growing and using perennial grain that's good for the planet can make great beer!

Last week?the?Plant Protein Innovation Center?(PPIC) had the honor of hosting?USDA?leadership,?Sanah Baig?(Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics),?Dr. Deirdra Chester, PhD, RDN (Director, Office of the Chief Scientist) and Rubella Goswami, Ph.D.??(Deputy Director, Institute for Youth, Family and Community?USDA-NIFA) at our facility within the?Department of Food Science and Nutrition. Our very own?Dr. Baraem Pam Ismail Ismail, Director of PPIC, shared her vision of the future of PPIC, the value of collaboration with the USDA, and the current state of the ecosystem PPIC operates at the heart of. Discussing the shared vision of an equitable, supportive, nutritious and profitable food landscape with individuals across government, industry, and our academic institution is exactly what we here at PPIC love to do. ? A very heartfelt thank you to all of those that spoke in support of PPIC’s mission: our Executive Board members,?Julie Simonson, Ph.D.?(Schwan’s) and?JoAnne Berkenkamp?(MBOLD), our engaged PPIC members,?The Land Institute?(Tammy Kimbler) and?Mattson: Innovation for the Food & Beverage Industry?(Katie Hagan), our passionate Technical Committee members,?Roquette?(Jennifer Kimmel),?Cargill?(Nathan Knutson), and?Ingredion Incorporated?(Akshay Arora), our frequent collaborator?Mitchell Coulter from the?Northarvest Bean Growers Association, and?finally?the Dean of?CFANS | U of M College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences,?Brian Buhr, for his encouraging words. ? Lastly, thank you to?Keegan Kautzky?(Senior Advisor for Research, Education, and Economics, USDA) for organizing this visit, and to all who attended in support of PPIC:?Evan Craine, PhD?(The Land Institute),?Nagul Naguleswaran, PhD (Ingredion),?Mary Buschette?(CFANS,?UMN),?Amy Kircher?(Office of the Senior Vice President for Finance and Operations, UMN),?JoonHyung Cho?(Research & Innovation Office, UMN), and?Andrew Chelseth?(Government and Community Relations, UMN). Karthik Pandalaneni, Ph.D. , Echo Crawford, Taylor Otness, Tim Loesch, Lori Fligge, Milena Saqui Salces

The Non-Alcoholic Kernza??Golden Brew from Deschutes Brewery and Patagonia Provisions won a Gold Medal in the Specialty Non-Alcoholic Beer category at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver last week! Congratulations to everyone involved in this perennial grain collaboration. https://lnkd.in/gAWz6b9Q

“Developing?new perennial grains that persist year over year opens up unprecedented opportunities for farmers to greatly improve soil health as a natural outcome of agriculture. But we need policymakers, investors, business leaders, chefs, and researchers to take serious steps toward making soil health a fundamental part of our institutional approach to food and agriculture.”? - Tim Crews, Chief Scientist & Director of the International Initiative at?The Land Institute Our soils can serve as a dependable carbon-storing resource to help meet national and global climate goals. Continued policy support to establish widespread perennial agriculture practices will help ensure that food production is seen as a valuable climate solution. Read more at Food Tank. https://lnkd.in/d3Rbfkhr

Perennial agriculture, including perennial grains, agroforestry, and working grasslands, can serve as a tool to transform our agricultural system into one that reduces emissions and carbon-intensive farming practices and prepares the food system for the realities of the changing climate. Climate change will amplify declining yields and soil fertility. Perennial crops, like fruit and nut orchards, berry and nut shrubs, Kernza? perennial grain, and diverse pasture systems, live on the landscape for many years and can help reverse these trends, create pollinator habitat, and increase biodiversity if they get the funding and policy support they need for research and adoption.? Discover how perennial crops can enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services at Civil Eats. https://lnkd.in/gSdKfj22