New Online Experience: Conserving and Using Crop Diversity
10 November 2025
The Crop Trust has launched a new online experience – Conserving & Using Crop Diversity.
This interactive website invites you to explore how the crops we eat are conserved, studied and used to build a more secure food future.
It’s colorful, easy to navigate, and full of stories, games and videos that bring science to life.
What You’ll Find
Ever wondered what the difference is between a landrace and an elite variety?
Or who a pre-breeder is, and why their work matters?
This site explains it all – in a simple, visual way, and the way you use it is entirely up to you.
- You can travel back in time to discover how seeds were first saved and used by breeders.
- Or play a game where you help farmer Hassan create a new wheat variety that can withstand heat waves.
- Think you’re fluent in crop diversity? Then go ahead and test your knowledge.
Beyond their dazzling smiles, what do Anna Backhaus, Chrispus Odouri, Shivali Sharma and Benjamin Kilian have in common? They are scientists working with farmers around the world to develop crops that can survive drought, heat and disease. They have one goal: to secure the future of food.
Why It Matters
“The Crop Trust is helping plant breeders and farmers explore and use the diversity that genebanks safeguard,” says Dr Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director of the Crop Trust. “Genebanks without users are like libraries without readers. The BOLD pre-breeding projects develop materials and generate knowledge that we need to face future challenges.”
This interactive online experience was launched with support by the Biodiversity for Opportunities, Livelihoods and Development (BOLD) project funded by the Government of Norway. The BOLD project aims to strengthen food and nutrition security by helping genebanks conserve and use crop diversity more effectively.
Discover how crop diversity connects us all – Conserving & Using Crop Diversity
Share your thoughts and experiences with us media@croptrust.org and on social media. Don’t forget to tag the Crop Trust!
Categories: For Educators, For Partners, For Students