News

Genebanks are sometimes caught up in unexpected events. Natural catastrophes, pandemics, wars and other crises can jeopardize their unique genetic holdings at any time.

That’s why it pays to have a backup plan in place.

Safety...

A groundbreaking 10-year project is launching to improve food security and climate resilience globally and support livelihoods, health and wellbeing.  

“Biodiversity for Opportunities, Livelihoods and Development,” or BOLD, a...

Stefan Schmitz | Crop Trust Executive Director

The upcoming United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) could mark a turning point for how we solve some of our most pressing global crises—if we can rise to the occasion.

Six years...

As one of the world’s most widely produced and consumed fruits and staple foods, bananas (including plantain) are of vital importance.

But pests and diseases, such as the Tropical Race 4 fungal infection, and climate change, have...

Scientists from across the CGIAR, and its partner and donor organizations met in July 2021 to identify opportunities for enhancing use of crop germplasm collections.

Hosted by the CGIAR Genebank Platform, the workshop addressed...

Crop diversity is humanity’s lifeline. If we want to ensure our future food security, it must be protected. Genebanks contribute to this vital task by storing seeds under special conditions to ensure that they are available when...

Stefan Schmitz | Executive Director

When the first Model T rolled off his assembly line, Henry Ford revolutionized the economy.

Industrial mass production became an essential feature of the 20th century and laid a foundation for...

In the face of climate change, improving wheat varieties is essential to maintain yields—and genebanks are at the center of the process, a new study shows.

Published in a special issue of the journal Food Security, the study used...

The new year is upon us, ushering in an updated Global Biodiversity Framework for the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD), covering the period 2021 to 2030 and beyond.

But with a new year comes the reminder that biodiversity...

2020 reflections by Stefan Schmitz, Crop Trust Executive Director 

For everyone in the world, 2020 has been a year like no other.

The global pandemic has left no one...

The Global Crop Diversity Trust is honored to be recognized as a finalist for the 2020 Food Planet Prize, which was established by the Curt Bergfors Foundation in Sweden.

“Our food system is broken, and the planet is ailing,”...

Tasty Local Insight from the GLF Bonn Digital Conference 2020

This article is part of a series on sustainable food produced in collaboration with the Global Landscapes Forum

At the Global Landscape Forum’s 2020 digital...