College of Natural Science plant researchers are racing to build climate-resilient crops before global food systems reach a breaking point.
Sue Rhee, Director of MSU's Plant Resilience Institute, is one of the College of Natural Science researchers working to make plants more climate resistant.
Global food production is at a crossroads. Rising temperatures, droughts and extreme weather are making it harder for farmers to grow wheat, rice, corn and soybeans. Growing seasons have shifted. Erratic rain is lowering crop yields. And in some parts of the world, water is scarce.
Michigan State University stands ready to meet this crisis head-on. Many College of Natural Science plant researchers are dedicating their careers to making sure our planet has enough food for the nearly 10 billion people it is expected to house by 2050. That's an increase of about 3 billion from the 2010 population.