US Agriculture is the most productive in the world. Our current agricultural systems were developed to consistently provide access to plentiful and affordable food. However, increasing global population, scarcity of resources, changing climate and changing consumer preferences are and will, continue to put a strain on our current cropping systems.
Going forward, we need to do more with less. We need to be better stewards of our environment and our food supply. Instead of calories, consumers are more health-conscious and demanding better nutrition. People want to know how and where their food was produced and that it is safe. Producers are operating on tighter and tighter margins due to low commodity prices and are looking for ways to increase farm profitability. Increasing crop diversity requires developing new supply chains from farm to consumer that are more equitable in sharing value.
To meet these challenges, the Next Generation Crops Challenge Area supports the advancement of novel, nutritious, profitable and resilient on-farm crops. There is a strong emphasis on increasing crop diversity and using new technologies to benefit consumers, producers and the environment. We seek research approaches that focus on innovative technologies and environmentally sound production practices combined with the discovery and development of new end uses for both conventional and non-traditional crops. Accelerated breeding methods that increase the rate of genetic gain and provide producers with newer and better-adapted varieties are also sought.