sunflowers

The Russian invasion of Ukraine focused world attention on wheat prices and disruptions of supplies to poor countries that rely on imported grain. Now analysts at the IFPRI think tank say there is “another important emerging food security issue: the war’s impact on vegetable oils.”

Aided by attractive prices early this year, sunflower oil will account for 12 percent of the world's food use of vegetable oils, its highest share ever, said the USDA on Thursday. "The shift towards sunflower is driven by demand for higher-quality oils as global incomes rise," said the Oilseeds: World Markets and Trade report.

Native to North America, sunflowers are the second-most widely grown seed crop in the world, says Modern Farmer, so it's logical for researchers Laura Marek and Gerald Seiler to scour the country for the hardiest of the wild plants. With climate change forecast to affect agricultural production, "the wild genetic material that breeders need to adapt the crop for future uncertainty is found almost exclusively on our soil," writes Nelson Harvey in a story produced in partnership with FERN.