By Phil Brewer
Whether it's tucking into some toast, dumplings or a bowl of fresh pasta, humans love eating wheat.
Wheat is the most widely grown cereal crop in the world. It's produced by harvesting the dry, edible seeds of a type of cultivated grass. Once processed, these seeds can be used for food, animal feed and industrial purposes such as biofuel production.
The global demand for wheat rises year after year, largely due to population growth. In 2026, global wheat production is set to reach 820 million metric tons.
Wheat is a tough plant, able to endure drought, heat and cold. But it has limits.
The world's major wheat-growing regions are increasingly vulnerable to climate change. More extreme weather and rainfall shortages are already making life harder for wheat farmers. And many are now facing the added challenge of securing fertilizer and fuel amid shortages linked to the Iran war.
So how can we keep growing wheat with all these pressures, and especially in a changing climate?
Wheat around the world
Wheat is a staple food for roughly three billion people around the world, of whom more than one-third live in the poorest countries. Wheat contributes more calories and protein to the world's diet than any other crop.
Wheat is also a major economic commodity, contributing nearly $A70 billion to the global economy. Millions of farmers around the world rely on it to make a living. Australia's graingrowers produce about 4% of the world's wheat. But this crop is disproportionately important, as the majority is exported. This is between 10% and 20% of global wheat exports.
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