Development and adoption of Kernza—A perennial grain crop for sustainable agriculture

Societal Impact Statement Annual cereal grains account for ~50% of human food calories, but cultivation of these crops has resulted in major environmental and social issues worldwide. For nearly three decades, researchers have been breeding intermediate wheatgrass—a perennial cool‐season grass—to serve as the world's first commercial‐scale perennial grain crop to improve agricultural sustainability. Introducing a perennial grain crop onto landscapes and into markets has significant potential to reduce environmental impacts of agriculture, improve farmer economics, and offer a healthy new food ingredient for consumers. However, transdisciplinary collaboration is required to upscale Kernza to maximize positive societal impacts. Summary Kernza is the tradename of grain harvested from advanced breeding lines of intermediate wheatgrass, a perennial grass being domesticated to serve as a perennial grain crop. Here, we present the need and justification for developing perennial grains as a contributing solution to agricultural challenges; we review the foundational science behind Kernza's development, outline the transdisciplinary efforts to scale and commercialize it, and address the unique challenges to its wider adoption and integration into the food system. Decades of plant breeding and development of genetic resources have resulted in the domestication of Kernza, which has since been studied for its food science, agronomic, and ecological properties at a research scale. Research and development have expanded to engage critical food system actors including farmers, processors, end‐users, and consumers, and these collaborations have resulted in coordinated networks ranging in scale from local communities to an international consortium to improve the social, environmental, and economic impacts of Kernza. Cross‐sector partnerships continue to develop and distribute knowledge and resources that support the adoption of Kernza by growers and end users. Examples of resources include grower business cooperatives, federal incentive programs, marketing toolkits, and educational materials for learners spanning generations. We outline key challenges to expedited progress, including the inherent time requirements to breed a crop for multi‐year grain production, and quantify certain environmental benefits like carbon sequestration. A coordinated, transdisciplinary, values‐based approach to overcoming these challenges is described and, if implemented, can accelerate the research and commercialization at a global scale.