Systems Research: Plant and Animal Breeding

Train breeders skilled in cultivar development and knowledgeable in systems thinking

• Continue to develop new cultivars
• Maintain a critical mass of students at universities with major plant breeding programs and insure that there are opportunities for training in allied disciplines
• Ensure that there are plant breeding faculty with the expertise to teach critical courses
• Explore alternative models of education for post-baccalaureate students and farmer breeders
• Reinvigorate education of international plant breeders through graduate student training and collaboration

Increase utilization of new public cultivars

• Collaborate with stakeholders in trailing new varieties, seed production, and marketing
• Develop the capacity of foundation seed and crop improvement organizations to market specialty crops and organic seed

Breed cultivars for organic and sustainable systems

• Have listening sessions with farmers to understand their needs
• Conduct on-farm trials in the target system
• Work with interested farmers on participatory breeding projects to select cultivars or improved populations
• Make breeders and policy makers aware of the importance of breeding annual and perennial cultivars adapted to complex rotation and diverse agro-ecosytems

Engage stakeholders to support plant breeding for sustainable and organic agriculture

• Develop a white paper explaining the centrality of plant breeding to sustainable systems
• Connect with sustainable agriculture organizations
• Develop materials for the popular press and general audiences