Crops of the Future Collaborative

  • On August 23, 2017

During his July testimony before the House Ag Committee, Andy LaVigne, President and CEO of ASTA, mentioned the exciting potential of the new Crops of the Future Collaborative to heighten crop yield and nutrition gains for leafy greens, corn, and wheat.

The Collaborative is led by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research. The new, public-private, multi-partner consortium is designed to accelerate global efforts to develop crops needed to meet food system challenges 20-50 years from now. FFAR will leverage its own $10 million investment in the project along with the knowledge, capabilities and financial resources of partners. Research funded through the Collaborative will aim to expand scientific understanding of the genes and traits that give rise to the characteristics crops will need to adapt to changing environments. Ultimately, results will be publically available through scientific publications and informational platforms, benefiting groups outside the consortium, in addition to private and public breeding efforts.

Participating organizations include: Bayer, Biogemma, CIMMYT, KWS SAAT SE, FAPESP, FFAR, Precision PlantSciences, and Rijk Zwaan. Founding Partners will meet for the first time at the end of August to begin coordination and to lay the groundwork for bolstering the crop breeding toolbox.

Learn more: bit.ly/futurecrops