THE WHEAT INITIATIVE REINFORCED ITS COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY DURING THE G20 MEETING OF THE AGRICULTURAL CHIEF SCIENTISTS

Berlin, 17th May

From May 15 to 17, 2024, Brasilia, Brazil hosted the G20 Meeting of the Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS-G20) meeting under the G20 presidency of Brazil. As a G20 initiative, the Wheat Initiative (WI) participated in discussions with scientists from G20 countries and presented its progress and achievements during the session on “Ongoing MACS initiatives”.

The WI presentation, given by John Spink, Head of Environment, Crops and Land Use Programme at Teagasc, Crops Research Centre, Ireland and Chair of the WI Board, focussed on the recent advances in wheat research and the collaborative efforts of the eleven Expert Working Groups of the WI network. Key WI programmes such as the Alliance for Wheat Adaptation to Heat and Drought (AHEAD) and the Wheat Initiative Crop Health Alliance (WATCH-A) were highlighted during the presentation, with an emphasis on improving the sustainability of wheat production under increasing climate stress.

Discussions underscored WI’s commitment to increase food security, improve the nutrition and safety of wheat, address societal demands for sustainable and resilient agricultural production, and maximise benefits through international collaboration.

John Spink said, “Improvements in wheat production and genetics are going to have to accelerate as the impact of climate change challenges wheat production in many regions. Sharing knowledge and genetic resources across the globe is vital to efficiently meet this challenges and this is exactly what the Wheat Initiative was set up to achieve.”

Representatives of the WI Board attended the meeting with their respective delegations among them Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Türkiye, UK, and the USA.

The Wheat Initiative has emerged as a pivotal organisation in coordinating wheat research on a global scale contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and underlining the importance of global coordination in achieving the objectives of zero hunger, responsible consumption and production, and partnerships.

The WI, established in 2011 under the name International Research Initiative for Wheat Improvement (IRIWI) to support and coordinate international efforts in enhancing sustainable wheat production for global food security, remains committed to building networks of experts to address threats to the G20's goal of achieving food security.

For media inquiries, please contact: WHEAT INITIATIVE (wheat.initiative(a)julius-kuehn.de)

Programme Manager: Teresa Saavedra

Web: www.wheatinitiative.org

X: @WheatInitiative