Brandon Schlautman, Lead Scientist of the Perennial Legumes Program at The Land Institute, presented at the 2023 Wilkes Climate Summit hosted by the University of Utah’s Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy on May 16th. Scientists, inventors, and business and government leaders convened at the center’s inaugural climate summit in a collective effort to explore the best solutions for a warming planet.
Schlautman’s presentation highlighted Perennial Baki™ Bean as a nutritionally rich food and a viable tool for reducing global carbon emissions and improving ecosystem health. This perennial pulse crop is currently in consideration for the $1.5 million Wilkes Climate Prize as one of five finalist projects selected from 77 total proposals. This funding, which is the largest university-affiliated climate prize in the world, would allow The Land Institute to increase Baki Bean’s market presence, expand its acreage in the US, and understand and scale its carbon-saving potential.
“By sequestering carbon with this new hardware, improving soil structure, and requiring fewer resources, the Perennial Baki Bean has the potential to transform agriculture.” — Brandon Schlautman