About Crop Trust - Wheat field in Pakistan - A. Yaqub/CIMMYT
About Us

“The Crop Trust is a small organization with a big mission.”     –  Marie Haga, former Executive Director of the Crop Trust

The Crop Trust is the only organization whose sole mission is to ensure humanity conserves and makes available the world’s crop diversity for future food security.

We were founded in 2004 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and Bioversity International on behalf of the CGIAR, and concluded a Headquarters Agreement with the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany in December 2012, transferring our headquarters to Bonn in 2013.

The Crop Trust provides:

  • Financial support for the key international genebanks that make the diversity of our most important food crops available to all under the International Treaty;
  • Tools and support for the efficient management of genebanks;
  • Coordination between conserving institutions to ensure that all crop diversity is protected, accessible and used.
  • Final backup of crop seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
  • Our History

    Since 2004, we have been safeguarding the building blocks of agriculture. View the full timeline of our history and learn more about the Crop Trust’s global role in safeguarding crop diversity.

     

  • Governance & Policy

    The Crop Trust is an independent organization under international law. We benefit from a multi-faceted and inclusive governance structure that includes three decision-making bodies: The Executive Board; the Donors’ Council and the Finance and Investment Committee.

  • The Staff

    As an international organization with a global mission, the Crop Trust requires world-class staff. Now benefiting from 17 nationalities across our team, with broad talents and exceptional drive, we are better suited than ever to build a truly global system for the conservation of crop diversity.

  • HRH, The Prince of Wales, Patron of the Crop Trust
    Our Supporters

    We rely on support from our partners everywhere – individuals, public institutions and private donors. Partners like you. We are deeply grateful for all contributions and pledges of all sizes.