Competitive underutilized crops will depend on the state funding of breeding programmes: an opinion on the example of Europe

Today, food security depends on very few major grain crops, actually an outcome of breeding success and globalization. This will not change in the near future. But action must be taken to stop the unprecedented pace of the erosion of biodiversity on arable fields; this is a prerequisite to ensure robust cropping systems as well as complementary food production for coming generations. Although this has been discussed for decades, little progress has been made. Most underutilized crops are no longer suitable for todays agriculture. Success can be achieved only by planning long-term breeding programmes instead of screening underutilized crops again and again. This cannot be realized, however, by market-driven private breeders. State funding is mandatory to launch a programme of a set of well-chosen crops. Guidelines are provided, based on case examples from cool temperate regions, where promising crops undergo stepwise selection process. In Europe, a programme could be established in the frame of a virtual institute, wisely investing a small part of the direct payments that go to farmers today, thereby safeguarding their future.