Kernza is being touted as the new miracle grain

A new grain called "kernza" is being widely touted as a possible world-saving innovation (but then so was golden rice, and look how that turned out).

Kernza is a tiny little grain, just a fifth the size of a wheat grain, although scientists at the Land Institute in the US are trying to develop a larger version of the grain which might be more attractive to farmers and food producers (the Land Institute is the organization that is mainly responsible for kernza's development). They are also working on a dwarf variety which is expected to have improved bread-baking properties.

Kernza was supposedly developed from wheatgrass some 20 years ago, although as I understand it wheatgrass is just the early sprouts of a regular wheat plant, so I am not really sure how that works. Up until now, it has mainly been used in animal feed, but it is starting to enter the mainstream, and at least one brewery is already using it in their products. Pasta, pizza, bread and even a General Mills cereal (through its organic line, Cascadian Farms), all made from kernza, are available in the US if you know where to look for them.

And how is this new grain going to save the planet? Well, it's not, really, but it does have some advantages over regular grains. Principally, it is a perennial, and so does not require reseeding each year. Unlike wheat, corn, barley, etc, its roots can be left in the ground to regrow after harvesting, doing away with the need to clear fields, plough and reseed fields. This saves energy and reduces the farmers' chemical use and carbon footprint. Also, the plant's roots extend over 3 meters below the surface, helping to stabilize soil, retain water, and improve wildlife habitat. If that is not enough, it also traps carbon in roots roots, acting as a kind of carbon sink, as well as trapping nitrogen and preventing it from reaching streams and rivers. And did I mention that the crop is quite hardy, and well suited to the northern prairies of the USA and Canada, and it can be harvested using existing farm machinery?

It will be interesting to see if kernza takes off commercially. If you see it, buy it: it has to be better, ecologically speaking, than regular grains like corn and wheat.