Alternatives to wheat against hunger in the world

The Ukrainian War showed us not only our dependence on Russian oil and gas, but also on the huge amounts of wheat that come from the region and are exported all over the world. Russia and Ukraine are in first and fifth place, respectively, in the ranking of the largest wheat exporters in the world.

Together they produce more than 20% of the world’s grain supply. A lot of that ends up in the Middle East and Africa. The world’s biggest wheat importer is Egypt, which gets about 80% of its grain from Russia and Ukraine. The country is now subsidizing bread prices as costs soar and supplies dwindle.

The war-induced grain shortage is also exacerbating an “unprecedented food emergency” this year in the Sahel region and West Africa, according to the UN World Food Programme. Kenya, Somalia and much of Ethiopia are at risk of acute food insecurity.

Climate change, including a prolonged drought that now ravages West Africa, is worsening food shortages. Wheat production could fall by 7% for every degree Celsius of global warming, especially due to reduced rainfall, experts warned last week.

To combat food insecurity, countries like Egypt are trying to reinforce food independence by expanding domestic production. Now wheat is also being planted in the Egyptian desert, although this requires more fertilizer and scarce water resources.

Common wheat (Triticum aestivum) has a shallow root system and is therefore more susceptible to drought. Because it is very productive and its white flour can be processed into an infinite number of foods, this globally dominant hybrid grain is still extremely popular. It provides about 20% of the calories consumed by humans.

Due to wheat’s vulnerability to supply shortages caused by conflict and climate change, attempts are being made to establish a wider range of more resilient and sustainable grain varieties. This includes older strains that are better able to adapt to the climate and thrive in a variety of conditions.

Here are four alternative grains that can help end our dependence on wheat:

Einkorn

Before the mass cultivation of common wheat, found today in myriad forms on supermarket shelves around the world, dozens of so-called “original” grains were grown in many different locations and different soil and climate conditions.

Einkorn (Triticum monococcum, from German Einkorn, literally “single grain”), is such a resilient grain that it could be an alternative to the wheat used to make bread in most parts of the world.

Dating back to Neolithic times, einkorn is known as “original wheat”. It is adaptable to diverse terrains and more disease resistant than modern wheat. It contains 30% more protein, 15% less starch and less gluten than regular commercial wheat. The grain is said to give products made with it a nutty flavor.

“Einkorn is unique because it has twice as many minerals as other types of wheat, which is crucial for nutrition,” said Friedrich Longin, an agricultural scientist at the University of Hohenheim in southern Germany. But while it is twice as nutritious as modern wheat, it has about half the yield.

Today, it is grown in relatively small amounts in Austria, Germany and regions of Italy, Hungary and France, but has the potential to be sown more widely due to its adaptability to poor and marginal soils. The grain also has exceptional disease resistance compared to common wheat, according to a recent study.

wild emmer

Emmer, or farro (Triticum dicoccum), is another original grain that could come back in the face of the current crisis. Roman Emperor Julius Caesar was a fan of the grain and ordered it to be grown throughout the Roman empire. Today, its main benefits are high climate resilience and disease resistance. Its yield is superior to that of einkorn.

A 28-year study in Israel showed that wild emmer varieties that experienced a two-degree temperature rise during that period mutated that made them more resistant to climate change.

The researchers concluded that more genetically diverse, high-fiber species were “the best genetic hope” for improving modern wheat strains vulnerable to climate change and disease.

While emmer was once an integral part of breadmaking in ancient Rome, today its seeds are relatively scarce. Grain flour is again being used in Switzerland and Italy, where it is also made into dough.

Kernza

One problem with conventional wheat is that it is seasonal, which means the plant dies after harvest and needs to be replanted each year. It also has a shallow root system, which is not highly effective at sequestering carbon underground.

As an option, a new perennial grain called Kernza, or middle wheat, was developed by The Land Institute, a sustainable agriculture NGO based in the US state of Kansas. Derived from wheat, Kernza roots grow up to three meters, which means the plant can sequester much more carbon. Its long roots also maintain the health of the soil by resisting erosion.

Perennial plants help to develop a more biodiverse and drought resistant soil, in addition to saving energy and resources needed for annual replanting. The hybrid grain that has been developed over decades is already being used by bakers, chefs and brewers in the US and Canada.

The institute that developed it is calling kernza “forward-looking change based on fundamentally regenerative and climate-smart agriculture.” Four thousand acres of wheat were grown in the US and Canada in 2021, 500 more than in 2019. Amid the global grain crisis, that number could grow even more.

Millet

Millet, or millet, a staple food for hundreds of millions of people in Asia and Africa, also has high climate resilience, short ripening period and low carbon emissions, according to Robert Onyeneke, an agricultural economist at Alex Ekwueme Federal University. , in Nigeria.

The grain, which comes in many varieties, is adaptable to heat and drought, requires far less water than wheat, rice or corn, and can be grown all over the world, even in relatively poor soils.

The importance of the grain, which is little consumed in the West, was underlined when the UN declared 2023 the International Year of Millet Maize. With cultivation in decline in many countries, the UN said “its potential to address climate change and food security is not being fully realized”.