We Have the Tools. We Have the Money. It’s Time to Make Wheat and Maize Sustainable

On the southeastern edges of Konya Province in central Turkey, an ancient relief looks out from a rockface, as it has done for almost 2,800 years.

It shows a king, hands clasped in prayer, and a god, holding something much less conspicuous – ears of wheat and a bunch of grapes.

“Wheat was always important here,” says Mesut Keser, Turkey’s country coordinator for the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). “Turkey is one of the centers of the origin of wheat.”

Today, wheat remains one of the country’s most important crops, with about 22 million tons produced annually, Keser adds.

That’s one of the main reasons why 65 international cereal experts gathered in Istanbul, Turkey, for the FOLUR Maize and Wheat Regional Dialogue, where they set out to tackle one of the most pressing issues facing cereal today: sustainability.

Held from 19–23 January 2025, the event brought together representatives from the World Bank FOLUR team, ICARDA, the Center for International Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Finance Corporation (IFC), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Mexico’s National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Why are wheat and maize important? 

Maize and wheat account for about a third of the global diet, making them vital for food security across the world. They are also some of the most traded commodities globally.

“When we’re talking about cereals, we’re talking about staples: most people in the world are eating a cereal at some point every day,” says Christopher Brett, co-lead of the FOLUR Impact Program and agribusiness, finance and jobs lead at the World Bank.

“Cereals are important for food security, important for livelihoods and of course important for nutrition.”

However, maize and wheat production also contributes significantly to biodiversity loss, land degradation and the climate crisis, he adds.

With global food demand expected to rise by up to 56 percent in the coming decades, countries must find ways to reduce the impact of wheat and maize production while protecting food security.