Grain Central: Long-term Investment and Cooperation are Essential to Protect Crop Diversity
10 November 2026
As the COP31 UN Climate Change Conference opens in Antalya, Türkiye, with Australia leading the negotiations, climate action is in focus. Crop diversity conserved in genebanks is a practical step we can take today to ensure food security tomorrow. On a recent visit to Australia, our Executive Director Stefan Schmitz underscored that genebanks must be funded as permanent infrastructure, not short-term projects at the Crawford Fund Annual Conference.
Grain Central highlighted the Crop Trust’s Endowment Fund, which provides reliable, long-term funding for globally important crop collections. An endowment of around USD 850 million could secure the essential operations of these collections in perpetuity – and the Crop Trust is almost halfway there.
Dr Schmitz also emphasized the value of international partnerships. Crop diversity conserved in one country can help farmers respond to drought, cold and other challenges elsewhere. Recent support for the Pacific’s CePaCT genebank, enabled by New Zealand, shows how donors and partners can strengthen regional food security for generations.
“Australia is not a donor to this system. Australia is a shareholder in it,” Schmitz said. “You invest in agricultural research beyond your borders, and the benefit comes back – new varieties, stronger biosecurity, better trade, better scientists. Crop diversity is the purest boomerang there is; it has been coming back for 80 years.”
Category: Crop Trust in the News