The Global Conservation Consortium for Food Plants Launches to Strengthen Global Food Security
25 September 2025
The New York Botanical Garden and partners have launched the Global Conservation Consortium for Food Plants (GCCFP). This new initiative brings together botanical gardens, genebanks, research institutions and other partners to safeguard the plants that feed us, wild and cultivated, worldwide. The consortium will enhance global efforts to conserve and share the diversity of edible plants, making it more secure and accessible in the face of global challenges.
Botanical gardens play a vital role in conserving biodiversity, complementing the work of crop genebanks. According to the latest State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, there are more than 3,000 botanic gardens in the world, with over 350 of them operating genebanks across 74 countries.
The GCCFP is built on collaboration. A Global Steering Committee – including the Crop Trust, Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), the Plant Treaty and representatives of leading gardens and genebanks – sets the direction of the initiative. The New York Botanical Garden will serve as the Global Lead Institution for the first five years, responsible for coordination, communication and mobilizing resources. Regional sub-groups in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North America will ensure that the consortium’s work reflects local needs while contributing to a truly global effort to conserve food plants.
Discover more about this exciting new initiative.
Categories: For The Press, For Partners