Arcadia Biosciences has signed an agreement with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop heat-tolerant wheat variants.
The wheat varieties will be developed using a range of classical breeding and modern molecular biology tools.
CIMMYT will receive non-exclusive rights in developing countries to Arcadia's heat-tolerance technology developed under this agreement, while Arcadia will retain exclusive commercial rights in the developed countries. Arcadia will lead the initiative under a $3.8m grant from USAID.
Heat-tolerant varieties developed will enable wheat farmers in developed and developing countries to maintain yields and cater to the increasing demand for this food grain. Because of its prominence in diets globally, demand in developing countries is expected to increase by 60% by 2050 to cater to the increasing demand, according to Arcadia Biosciences.
Arcadia Biosciences president and chief executive Eric Rey said that wheat is one of the most important food commodities for consumers, farmers and the food industry, but the effect of rising global temperatures is already having a negative impact on production.
"Our partnership with USAID and CIMMYT enables us to share advances in our wheat technology program and access CIMMYT's expertise and experience testing wheat in stressed environments," Rey said.
Arcadia Biosciences is an agricultural technology company based in California, US. It has additional facilities in Washington and Arizona.
Mexico-based CIMMYT is a not-for-profit agriculture research and training organization, while USAID is an independent agency that provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the US.
