The Crop Trust is a non-profit international organization dedicated to conserving crop diversity and making it available for use globally, forever, for the benefit of everyone.

We work with donors and partners to lead global projects that protect crop diversity, conserve crop wild relatives and develop technology to make this diversity accessible worldwide.

We seek professionals with a passion for global food security and a strong drive to contribute to our mission of conserving crop diversity for future generations.

Global Crop Diversity Day 2025 will take place at the International Potato Center (CIP) in Lima, Peru, just ahead of the Eleventh Governing Body meeting of the International Plant Treaty. Co-hosted by the Crop Trust, the International Plant Treaty Secretariat and CIP, this second Crop Diversity Day will bring together experts and decision-makers from around the world to explore how to future-proof the global genebank system.

This year’s event will focus on the role of cryopreservation and the promotion of opportunity crops to strengthen the conservation and use of crop diversity. Key moments include:

The first deposit to CIP’s new cryo genebank, the first facility of its kind in South America
Launch of Vegetables4Life, a global initiative by WorldVeg to promote vegetable biodiversity
Expert discussions on strengthening the global system through innovation and collaboration

Outcomes of Crop Diversity Day 2025 will feed into discussions at the Treaty’s Governing Body session and help shape the future of global crop diversity conservation.

Program

10:00 - 10:30	Opening & Welcoming Remarks Catherine Bertini, Chair of the Executive Board, Crop Trust Simon Heck, Director General, CIP
10:30 - 11:15	Session 1 Closing the gaps in the global genebank system: Fireside chat with Geoff Hawtin Geoffrey Hawtin OBE, 2024 World Food Prize Laureate Noelle Anglin, Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, FAO Joachim von Braun, Executive Board Member, Crop Trust
11:15 - 11:40	Session 2 Ceremonial Launch of Vegetables4Life Maarten van Zonneveld, Genebank Manager, WorldVeg Colin Khoury, Scientist, New York Botanical Garden
11:40 - 12:40	Session 3 Cryopreservation: From a regional hub to a global system Rainer Vollmer, Associated Scientist - Cryopreservation, CIP César Tapia, Genebank Manager, INIAP Ecuador
12:40 - 13:40	Lunch
13:40 - 14:40	Session 4 Diversifying production systems for resilience and food security: The role of opportunity crops Dina Lida Gutiérrez Reynoso, Director General of Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, INIA Oliver King, Director - Biodiversity, MSSRF Logotonu Waqainabete, Programme Leader for Genetic Resources, CePaCT Alejandro Argumedo, Program Director, ANDES Stef de Haan, Senior scientist on Andean Food Systems, CIP
14:40 - 15:30	Session 5 Vegetables4Life: Feeling the heat, diversity hotspots that need us now Maarten van Zonneveld, Genebank Manager, WorldVeg Sognigbe N’Danikou, Scientist, WorldVeg Enoch Achigan-Dako, Director of the Laborator yof Genetics, Biotechnology and Seed Science, University of Abomey-Calavi Bettina Heider, Genetic Resources Specialist, CIP Alvaro Toledo, Deputy Secretary, International Plant Treaty
15:30 - 16:30	Session 6 Looking ahead: Strengthening the global genebank system through collaboration Marie Noelle Nbjiondjop, Head of Genetic Resources, Africa Rice Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director, Crop Trust Simon Heck, Direcor General, CIP Michael Keller, Secretary General, ISF Vania Azevedo, CGIAR Genebanks Director, CGIAR
16:30 - 17:00	Explore CIP campus
17:00 - 18:30	Reception

Add it to Google Calendar Download the ICS

What would you like to look for?

Crop Diversity Day Lima 2025

Program

Sign up for the Crop Trust Dish news update

Crop Diversity Day Lima 2025

Share

Sign up for the Crop Trust Dish news update