Food Security: The Wheat That Will Change the World
Two of the most pressing issues facing the world today are global hunger and environmental sustainability. Demand for food is on the rise while the amount of arable land and agricultural resources is declining. At the center of this international crisis is wheat, which constitutes one-fifth of all the calories consumed in the world. With massive crop yield losses due to disease and pests, the need for more robust wheat varieties is critical.
Tel Aviv University’s Institute for Cereal Crops Improvement is a global leader in the science that produces more durable cereals and houses the world’s largest and most diverse collection of wild wheat-related species. The Institute has already mapped the wild Emmer wheat genome, the direct ancestor of today’s cultivated wheat. Now, leveraging this momentous discovery, the Institute plans to genetically map and characterize the beneficial traits present in all of the specimens in its collection. Researchers will then be able to engineer superior wheat lines that will resist disease and adapt better to climate change. These new strains will ultimately produce higher yields and translate into sustainable food supplies to feed the world. To advance the project on a large scale, the Institute requires a substantial infusion of funding.
Donors who wish to have large-scale impact on solving world hunger should consider supporting the Institute for Cereal Crops Improvement.
Naming Opportunities – Crop Improvement
- Institute for Cereal Crops Improvement
- Genotypingand Phenotyping Research Fund
- Project for Robust Wheat Development: FUNDED
- Wheat Disease Resistance Project: FUNDED
- Fellowship Fund
To support or receive more information about one of these projects, please contact your local TAU Friends Association or TAU’s Development and Public Affairs Division at +972-3-640-8249 or campaign@tauex.tau.ac.il.
Giving Opportunities
