Building a Stronger Genebank Network, One Connection at a Time

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.

Building a Stronger Genebank Network, One Connection at a Time

Participants from 11 countries gained hands-on experience in seed processing, germplasm characterization, and data documentation during a two-week training hosted by IRRI. Photo: IRRI

9 May 2025

In a world in which growing food demand is about the only certainty, digital tools are helping genebanks conserve and share the crop diversity that underpins our global food security.

By streamlining operations and connecting institutions, information technologies are laying the foundation for a stronger global genebank network. But tools alone aren’t enough — building capacity and collaboration are also needed.

The Crop Trust-led Biodiversity for Opportunities, Livelihoods and Development (BOLD) project is helping genebanks modernize their work and strengthen partnerships. BOLD is facilitating tailored, hands-on training for national genebank staff from countries around the world. In collaborations with international genebanks, these training efforts explore how to manage collections more efficiently and align with best practices.

A common thread in recent workshops? Digitization. From reducing errors to improving data access and sharing crop diversity, software and online platforms are reshaping crop diversity conservation and use.

At a recent training event at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), participants explored GRIN-Global Community Edition (GGCE). This is a user-friendly data management system tailored to genebanks whose development and deployment is being supported by the Crop Trust.

Alberto Roura, Researcher at the national genebank of Ecuador, uses Genesys for his work. Photo: Marta Millere/Crop Trust

For many of the participants, it was their first time using GGCE, and demand quickly grew for follow-up sessions. IRRI genebank staff showcased tablet-based field data collection linked to GGCE, which participants found faster and more reliable than the traditional paper-based methods many of them still use.

At another training session, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) demonstrated a GGCE application they have developed for managing seed requests. “There was a lot of demand for this functionality,” said Dr Zakaria Kehel of ICARDA.

Digital tools like GGCE are making conservation work more transparent and accessible. Genebank staff are excited to put these tools to use. And, thanks to BOLD, they are being trained to use them with confidence.

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