Going against the grain: Exploring opportunities for novel grains in the Australian food supply

Background: Grains are present in a myriad of recognisable food products, such as bread, pasta and breakfast cereals. The vast majority of grain consumption (over 90%) is however dominated by wheat, rice and corn. As the global population grows and the demand for food increases, current farming systems are under pressure to enhance their productivity to meet these future demands. However, in the face of global climate change, land degradation and water scarcity, productivity gains for the major dietary grains may be increasingly hard to capture, requiring a rethink of the current grain supply strategy. Rather than being reliant on a homogenous group of staple commodities, there may be value associated with the diversification of production systems to incorporate underutilised novel grains. The research presented in this thesis aimed to explore the potential sources of value associated with the incorporation of novel grains into the Australian food supply.