Back to the Future – Tapping into Ancient Grains for Food Diversity

Einkorn, emmer, and spelt are old wheat species that have fed the world for centuries before they have nearly completely been replaced by modern bread wheat. Nowadays, the diversity of these old species lies frozen in gene banks and rare attempts aim to exploit them as a source for genetic diversity in modern wheat breeding. Here, we want to raise a debate on a more holistic exploitation of ancient species via their direct introduction to the consumer market as high quality products. Although exemplified only for ancient wheat species, this innovative self-financing strategy can be directly extended to other species. A central requirement for this concept is intensive communication, coordination, and interdisciplinary research along the entire production chain from farm to fork.

TrendsIn developed countries, consumer trends go towards regional production of crops that are not intensively bred and produced, but instead offer novel and interesting products and tastes.Ancient crop species can satisfy these emotionally driven trends and in addition provide interesting new products with health-promoting ingredients while increasing crop and food diversity.The consumer trends further suit the requirements of small farmers, millers, traders, and end product manufacturers, for example, bakers, providing them with unique market positions against industrial mainstream products and warranting regional product chains with stable returns.The identification of ancient crop species best suited to current consumer and market needs requires an intensification of interdisciplinary research and long-term funding of undervalued crops.