Genebanks
The eleven CGIAR genebanks are custodians of the world’s most diverse publicly available crop collections. They conserve more than 700,000 accessions of more than 3,000 plant species. The genetic material is freely available to researchers, breeders, local communities, and farmers under the terms of the Plant Treaty, helping them find their own solutions for a more resilient, sustainable agriculture.
The Genebanks Accelerator will enable smarter, more widespread use of crop diversity, underpinned by rigorous conservation, a supportive policy environment and exceptional phytosanitary controls. By leveraging frontier technologies in genomics, AI, and cryopreservation, we will enhance the availability and impact of genetic resources worldwide.
Our work will contribute to
- Providing genetic variation across 3,000+ plant species
- Fair distribution of 100,000s of germplasm samples
- Helping 10,000s of farmers and millions of consumers
- Strengthening the global genebank and plant health systems
Where we will work in
North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Central and West Asia, South and Southeast Asia, and more than 100 countries globally
Challenges we’ll address
- Biodiversity loss: Increasing threats to genetic diversity in crops and their wild relatives due to climate change and intensive agricultural practices.
- Food security and nutrition: Declining resilience of agricultural systems due to homogenization of landscapes and over-reliance on a small number of crops and varieties.
- Phytosanitary risks: Potential spread of pests and diseases across borders and delays in germplasm distribution if phytosanitary standards not maintained.
- Policy gaps: Need for fair and effective international access and benefit-sharing frameworks, including in relation to Digital Sequence Information.
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Areas of Work
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Biodiversity ConservationWe will conserve a highly diverse collection of germplasm, assuring genetic integrity, quality, health and longevity of plant materials preserved as seeds in long-term storage, as in-vitro plants, cryopreserved or in field genebanks, while making samples and data available to requesters worldwide. All CGIAR Genebanks follow international standards assuring efficient long-term conservation, availability and data management at the highest levels of quality.
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Strategic User EngagementWe will proactively engage diverse user groups to increase awareness and use of genebank resources, develop AI-enabled tools for more time-efficient and precise accession selection, and enhance digital infrastructure for seamless access to genetic resources. -
Genetic Resources PolicyWe will influence and contribute to international policy on genetic resources conservation, access and use, including access and benefit-sharing policies, digital sequence information (DSI), farmer’s rights, representing the CGIAR in international forums such as the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (IT-PGRFA). We will also support national partners in policy development and implementation and help scientists across CGIAR science programs and accelerators comply with evolving standards. -
Germplasm HealthWe will ensure phytosanitary compliance for safe global germplasm exchange, develop innovative diagnostic and disease management protocols, and strengthen international collaborations for biosecurity and health testing, interacting directly with National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs) across countries, engaging on development and implementation of best practices on phytosanitation. -
Strengthening Capacity for In Situ and Ex Situ ConservationWe will enhance plant diversity conservation by strengthening the global community of genebanks, phytosanitary agencies and the underlying policy environment through the promotion of hands-on capacity building, and regional networks and communities of practices (CoP), such as the Latin American CoP on Genebanks, or the Cryo Network for Latin America, and Seed Quality Management training.
Gender Equality & Social Inclusion
Genebanks actively promote gender-inclusive approaches by ensuring equitable access to genetic resources for women, smallholder farmers, and Indigenous communities. They also facilitate capacity-sharing initiatives to support underrepresented groups in biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture.
Our Approach
Interlinked support across CGIAR’s portfolio
Genebanks will work closely with the Breeding for Tomorrow and Multifunctional Landscapes programs and the Digital Transformation accelerator.
Working to share our capacity with
- National partners
- Governments and policymakers
- Scientists and farmers
Built on CGIAR’s proven expertise
- Global leader in genebank management, conserving and making available over 700,000 accessions
- Collections offer unique diversity, including underused crops and valuable landraces, and wild relatives
- Pioneering use of AI, genomics, and cryopreservation for genetic conservation, characterization, and distribution
- Strong policy influence in international genetic resource governance
- Established partnerships with breeding programs, universities, and national genebanks
- Direct support to hundreds of farmers through the complementary conservation of local diversity and the reintroduction of diversity lost in situ.
News
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Leave no crops behind: the case for cryopreservation
05.12.24-
Biodiversity
This year’s World Food Prize was awarded to two pioneers of crop diversity conservation: Geoff…
Read more -
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Digital Sequence Information (DSI) and plant genetic resources
03.12.24Digital sequence information (DSI) is changing the way genetic resources are used in agricultural re…
Read more -
Meet CGIAR's Seed Doctors
10.05.24Germplasm Health Units conduct hundreds of thousands of tests and treatments every year so that…
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