Domestication - Can we correct a 10 000 year old mistake? From annual monocultures to perennial polycultures

Theme at the Pufendorf IAS, Lund University. 

CAN WE CORRECT A 10 000 YEAR OLD MISTAKE? FROM ANNUAL MONOCULTURES TO PERENNIAL POLYCULTURES

The aim of the project is to initiate a transdisciplinary platform for knowledge generation and development to advance perennial agriculture in the Swedish context. We will do so by initiating the long-term process of taking perennial grain crops from a scientific vision to fully operational food systems, including upscaling of cultivation and new product development.

The Domestication Theme wants to radically rethink the way food and fibre is produced. We discuss if a transition to cultivation of perennial crops – a potential paradigm shift in agriculture - could be a multifunctional solution to many of the problems faced by the current food production system. The research on perennial crops began about 30 years ago and has been growing ever since. In recent years, rapid progress has been made in the development of perennial varieties of important grain and oil crops. However, the idea that agriculture needs to be more perennial is a dramatic shift from the way farming has been practiced in the last 10,000 years, meaning that significant uncertainties and challenges remain. In this theme, we investigate the opportunities and potential barriers of perennial agriculture as pathway towards more sustainable food production systems.