COMPLETING A GLOBAL TASK

Conserving Diversity, Forever

15 YEARS The first 15 years of forever

In 2004, the genetic foundation But it wasn’t all gloom and doom. At The Crop Trust was established in of everything we eat rested on a conference organized by the UN October 2004 with a mission to treacherous ground. Food and Agriculture Organization help build a global system of ex situ – the raw material that breeders in 1996, 150 countries had launched crop diversity conservation and use and farmers need to prepare for a Global Plan of Action on crop and fund it through an endowment the challenges of the future – could diversity, eventually to form a major that would make it a lasting reality. be found in genebanks all over the pillar of the landmark International When the Governing Body of the world, but it was nowhere near as Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources Plant Treaty held its first meeting in secure as its immense importance for Food and Agriculture (‘the 2006, it recognized the Crop Trust as demanded. Plant Treaty’). The Plant Treaty an essential element of the Treaty’s brought the diversity of 64 food and funding strategy. Sometimes, accidents and disasters forage , as well as a roster struck. Sometimes, quite simply, of international crop collections, Today, a USD 300 million Endowment genebanks suffered budget cuts into a multilateral system where Fund meets more and more of the and couldn’t pay their electricity this material will forever remain needs of the world’s most important bills. This could be catastrophic too: accessible to all who need it under genebanks, with a commitment to short lapses in the management of agreed rules. do so forever – at last, a long-term collections could lead to permanent solution for a long-term challenge. loss of diversity. Unique adaptations The Plant Treaty made history, and Far more accessions are safety – and options for the future – could it brought attention to the question duplicated in a global system of die out forever. of exactly what “forever” means in genebanks around the world, and crop conservation. A crop collection nearly a million are backed up in the Even the most important requires daily work, constant Svalbard Global Seed Vault. A single international genebanks worried vigilance, and steady, reliable, online portal lets breeders search about their future from budget to predictable funding. There had been a majority of the world’s collected budget. And despite the critical too many close calls at genebanks crop diversity in seconds, and more need for new diversity for crop over the years. Something new accessions than ever are ready to be improvement efforts, it was seldom was needed to fulfill the promise of sent anywhere they are needed. straightforward to put the immensely conserving forever. valuable material on genebank These are extraordinary changes shelves to use. There was no single Something like the Crop Trust. to achieve in just 15 years. Together, place to search for accession-level they point the way to a global information across the scattered system that lies within reach and to landscape of genebanks, and even what can be achieved in the next if a breeder could locate material, 15 years. much of it was not easily available for distribution. 2008 2015 Crop The Svalbard Global Seed Vault opens Countries adopt the Sustainable as a partnership between the Ministry of Development Goals (SDGs), including Agriculture and Food of Norway, the Nordic Target 2.5 on safeguarding and sharing Genetic Resource Center and the Crop agrobiodiversity. The first-ever withdrawals Trust Trust. By the end of the year, the Seed Vault are made from the Svalbard Global Seed holds 320,553 accessions – 75% of which Vault: retrievals of faba bean, , , are deposited with assistance from the lentil, chickpea and other crops are made Crop Trust. Time Magazine names the Seed by the International Center for Agricultural Timeline Vault one of the best inventions of the year. Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) after its genebank in Aleppo, Syria is unable to function due to civil conflict. 2004 2010 The Crop Trust is established as the world’s The Crop Trust and CGIAR Consortium only organization dedicated solely to Office commission a costing study of the 2017 conserving crop diversity in genebanks. annual funds required to maintain all CGIAR The six-year CGIAR Genebank Platform Geoff Hawtin is appointed Interim Executive collections and distribute their germplasm. takes over as the successor to the Director at its headquarters at the United Genebank CRP. The Food Forever Initiative Nations Food and Agriculture Organization is launched to raise awareness of efforts to in Rome, . 2011 achieve SDG Target 2.5. The Crop Trust begins a 10-year project on conserving and using crop wild relatives for 2006 climate change adaptation, funded by the 2018 The Crop Trust signs with the International Government of Norway. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault celebrates Research Institute (IRRI) its first long- its 10th anniversary, and the Government term grant to support an international crop of Norway announces plans to upgrade collection. This guarantees funding of a 2012 the facility. The Crop Trust agrees to fully proportion of the costs of the genebank’s The Crop Trust opens its new headquarters fund the essential operations of the IRRI basic operations forever. Since then, in Bonn, Germany. Together with CGIAR, genebank forever. National partners in 25 the Crop Trust has entered into similar it launches the five-year CGIAR Research countries finish collecting more than 4,600 partnerships to support 20 other crop Program for Managing and Sustaining Crop crop wild relatives. collections around the world. Collections (the Genebank CRP), taking on financial responsibility and oversight for 11 international genebanks, based on the 2019 2007 results of the costing study. The Crop Trust celebrates its 15th birthday. Cary Fowler becomes Crop Trust Executive Entering a new era, it begins looking Director. The Crop Trust launches the towards increased support to national Global System Project in collaboration with 2013 crop collections. With support from the the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with Marie Haga becomes Crop Trust Executive German Government, preparatory work complementary funding from the Grains Director. The Crop Trust sets a target of with the aim of upgrading several national Research and Development Corporation of raising USD 850 million for its Endowment genebanks in sub-Saharan Africa begins. Australia. The project aims to strengthen Fund to finance a global system for the conservation efforts and secure at-risk conservation of crop diversity, centered crop diversity held in national collections in around key international, regional and developing countries. national collections – and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault as the backup facility for the world’s genebanks. Commitment with no end date

The Endowment Fund is the big has increased its commitments to 2018 with the decision to permanently idea that lets the Crop Trust do provide dependable resources to fund the entire operation of the what it does. It stands behind the keep these genetic resources safe world’s largest rice collection, held long-term funding agreements and accessible forever under the by the International Rice Research signed with 21 of the world’s most terms of the Plant Treaty. Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines. The important ex situ collections of Crop Trust intends to emulate this crop diversity, as recognized by the The Crop Trust is continually building achievement for other food crops in Plant Treaty under its Article 15. As the Endowment Fund to provide the years ahead. the Endowment has grown with more of the assured funding that contributions from donors of all genebanks need to maintain their Since 2004, over USD 35 million sizes, along with a concessional loan precious material in viable conditions has been withdrawn from the from the Government of Germany and make it accessible to users. The Endowment Fund to support the of USD 57 million, the Crop Trust effort reached a momentous point in CGIAR international crop collections.

APPROXIMATELY USD 300 MILLION IN THE ENDOWMENT FUND AS OF OCTOBER 2019

LONG-TERM AGREEMENTS TO FUND CROP COLLECTIONS FROM THE ENDOWMENT Commitment with no end date How to save a crop

How many kinds of strawberries undertakings was to create such a strategy for underwent a are there? Where are the world’s source. The global crop conservation major update while new strategies largest collections of oats? What is strategies are this and more: they are were developed for coffee, tea, the most efficient way to conserve a a solid scientific foundation for global apple and tropical forages. coconut variety? efforts, and they lay out strategic action plans, from the most acute One effect of this strategic approach It is not possible to ensure that a needs to the longest-term vision of a has been to draw attention to crop’s diversity is secure without a global system. national genebanks. These conserve great deal of knowledge: on how important crops that lack a large much diversity actually exists, where The Crop Trust worked with leading global collection, and they make it is found, what threats it faces, what crop experts for several years to vital diversity available to scientists efforts are underway to protect it develop strategies for 22 crops, and farmers both in their own and what remains to be done. alongside eight regional strategies. countries and abroad. It is their There are crop strategies for the place in global strategies that has The Global Plan of Action established major staple cereals, with their informed the next big step: providing a broad overview, but when the hundreds of thousands of genebank support forever to key national Crop Trust began, there was no accessions, and also for less- genebanks. Under the new project single source of precise crop-by- collected crops like breadfruit, finger Seeds for Resilience, the Crop Trust crop knowledge. So one of the first millet, coconut and grasspea. began work in 2019 to upgrade five African national genebanks The exercise was a starting point for and prepare the way for long-term much of the Crop Trust’s subsequent funding agreements. work, but it was more than just a preface. Updates and new strategies were always part of the plan, and these began in 2015. The 2,116 PAGES OF STRATEGIES GUIDING WORLDWIDE CONSERVATION 74 ,410 ACCESSIONS SAVED FROM THE THREAT OF A historic rescue PERMANENT LOSS mission, 2007–2013

While the Crop Trust set its sights who undertook the work of planting on the long-term from day one, it seeds and cuttings to see if they was clear that some tasks could not would still grow. wait. Around the world, genebanks held old material that was in danger When this was successful, they of dying. Seeds sat in storage too could record important data on the long; field collections of crops that plants as they matured, and return cannot effectively be conserved fresh material to their genebanks. as seed stood unattended; and They could also send duplicate breeders needed to know what was accessions to international in the collections before they could genebanks and the Svalbard Global put them to use. This was clear from Seed Vault as a backup against any the Global Plan of Action, and from future loss. multiple global crop conservation strategies. Something needed to be As its name suggests, the Global done, and fast. System Project was essential groundwork for the effective In 2007, the Crop Trust embarked on and efficient global system that the largest rescue of crop collections lay ahead. By bringing so many ever attempted, under the banner genebanks together in one initiative, of the Global System Project. In it drew attention to the needs just five years, a vast network of they share – particularly the needs partners achieved the regeneration to better document collections of nearly 75,000 accessions from 246 and make that data available to collections that were in danger of users. These needs were addressed being irretrievably lost. during and after the project as the Crop Trust helped to roll out This was the Crop Trust’s most powerful new information systems: urgent and complex activity in its the genebank data management first decade. It meant partnering package GRIN-Global and the with genebanks in 86 institutes in 78 first version of the Genesys developing and transition countries, online catalog. 962,186 TYPES OF SEED CURRENTLY BACKED UP IN THE The Seed Vault: SEED VAULT underground icon

It does not pay to take chances three-party agreement between the anything the future may bring to the with the foundations of agriculture. Norwegian Government, NordGen genebanks, to farmers, and to the Safety duplication of crop and the Crop Trust. It is built to global food system as a whole. collections should be normal stand the test of time, with the practice and has always been a capacity to hold 4.5 million seed Eleven years on, the Seed Vault Crop Trust maxim. This led to the samples and the stable conditions safeguards backups of roughly decision to create an ultimate to keep them at low temperatures half of the crop varieties held in all backup for seed collections. even without external power. It of the world’s seed banks. More It would become the largest became a media phenomenon than a million varieties have been collection of crop diversity ever and remains an icon of long-term deposited – and some have already assembled in one place – and that thinking for an uncertain future. For been temporarily withdrawn as a place would be a remote island the Crop Trust, it is both a symbol of dire need arose. above the Arctic Circle. shared international commitment to conservation and a practical These withdrawals were made The Svalbard Global Seed Vault keystone of the global system. by the International Center for first opened its doors in February Agricultural Research in the Dry 2008 and is operated under a Several times every year since Areas (ICARDA) in 2015 and 2017, 2008, the Seed Vault has opened its when its globally unique genebank doors to welcome boxes of seeds near Aleppo, Syria became from genebanks all over the world. inaccessible due to conflict. The The 76 depositors maintain sole Crop Trust and NordGen helped ownership of the seeds they send to ICARDA retrieve more than 90,000 Svalbard. These remain safe deep accessions of wheat, lentils, in the rock and permafrost as a chickpeas and other dryland long-term insurance policy against crops from the Seed Vault. This allowed ICARDA to re-establish its operations in Lebanon and Morocco, proving, much sooner than anyone expected, or hoped, that the Seed Vault is an insurance policy the world of crop conservation really needs. 80% OF CGIAR ACCESSIONS IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE FOR INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

The backbone of the global system

The 11 genebanks managed by five-year CGIAR Research Program In 2017, the CGIAR germplasm CGIAR Centres contain more than for Managing and Sustaining Crop health units and a plant genetic 750,000 accessions of humanity’s Collections, it accepted responsibility resources policy module joined most important food crops. They for supporting all core operations of the genebanks in the Platform and hold these collections in trust for the 11 genebanks and ensuring that took on its quality management the world under Article 15 of the they follow the highest standards. approaches. Communities of Plant Treaty, and they distribute This brought the genebanks to a Practice on seed longevity and almost 100,000 samples every year new level of operation, and they clonal crop conservation have been to breeders, farmers and other were enthusiastic about taking the set up across the Centres to ensure genebanks. In short, they form the partnership further in 2016, when that genebanks with less experience backbone of the global system that it evolved into the CGIAR Genebank benefit from those with more and to the Crop Trust is helping to build. Platform. develop joint research projects on common problems. After establishing long-term Agreement of basic performance funding agreements covering part targets (on accession availability, The Platform has also provided an of their costs with most of these safety duplication, documentation, opportunity to assess the diversity in genebanks, in 2010 the Crop Trust and quality management) is driving collections in more detail than ever. took on a bigger role. Under the significant improvements. Expert Using expert inputs, crop “diversity technical reviews and funding have trees” have been developed and enabled the genebanks to step up linked to a geographical gap analysis operations, efficiency and capacity. to highlight where landrace diversity Several Centres have co-invested, is missing from the international built new infrastructure, and piloted collections. This is also revealing the new technologies, like automated likely proportion of individual crop seed sorting and germination testing. genepools that are conserved ex situ.

With its coordinating role, the Crop Trust is doing far more than just funding the backbone of the global system. It is bringing the most important international collections together as a community. 4,644 NEW EXAMPLES OF WILD DIVERSITY IN Crop wild relatives and BREEDERS’ TOOLKITS the secrets of climate adaptation

Around the world, many farmers It all began with a map. The Crop and conserved throughout the are facing climatic conditions Trust and the International Center global system under the terms of they have never encountered for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) the Plant Treaty. before. This is bad news: even drew on all available knowledge the rich diversity found in crops about the wild relatives currently in Some crop wild relatives are has its limits when faced with collections and the environments already being used in pre-breeding extreme conditions. The process of where they are likely to grow. The projects for 19 crops: more than 100 domestication means that crops resulting gap analysis revealed the partners in 48 countries are doing are generally less adaptable than hotspots where collectors should the complex and time-consuming wild plants, which evolve outside look first – and look right away, work of finding the most beneficial the comfort of the agricultural field, before the plants disappeared. traits and transferring them, one surviving drought, flooding, high painstaking step at a time, into temperatures and poor soils. But By the end of 2018, national domesticated varieties. Through this what if some of that wild diversity partners in 26 countries had done work, characteristics that will help were brought onto the farm? just that. They brought into their prepare crops for the climates of the genebanks more than 4,600 future are already making their way The use of wild diversity in breeding samples of the wild relatives of into breeders’ hands. Soon, they will has still only scratched the surface eggplants, barley, chickpeas, be in the hands of farmers too. – and now wild species themselves and 22 other crops, from are under threat from the spread locations as remote as the deep and intensity of human activities. rainforest and as accessible as the In 2011, therefore, the Crop Trust side of a highway. took the lead in the broadest effort ever to collect, conserve and use The Millennium at crop wild relatives. Again, this was Kew, which helped implement the something that was called for by the collecting work, has received the Global Plan of Action and numerous majority of these samples for safety global crop conservation strategies. duplication, and they will be shared The explosive potential of genebank data

The Crop Trust was born at a time primary genebank management But that’s not all. The Crop Trust when less than 13% of the world’s system, with help from a growing also arranges for experts to visit population had internet access, community of users and training national and regional genebanks and in far too many genebanks workshops. to assess IT needs, and it offers the sole information management grants and technical support to system was a logbook. Things have Outside of genebanks, users of upgrade systems or develop new changed in the intervening 15 years. genetic resources also depend ones. It weaves information systems A lot. on data to find what they need. into every project, from the urgent Genesys, the Crop Trust’s answer support of the Global System It was always clear that part of the to the needs of genebank users, Project to the advances undertaken Crop Trust’s task would be to harness was launched in 2008. In a decade, by the Genebank Platform and Crop the emerging power of data. it grew into a public portal of Wild Relatives Project. The result is genebank material in over 450 a unified vision for managing and Within genebanks, it has collections across CGIAR, ECPGR, sharing data in the global system. participated in the development USDA, EMBRAPA, SPGRC and a and deployment of GRIN-Global, number of other data providers. It an advanced data management provides instant access, through package which was initially released a single search, to more than four at the end of 2011 and is gradually million accession records – probably taking over from the old patchwork the majority of genebank material of paper, spreadsheets and last- in existence. This is a dream come generation software. GRIN-Global true for policy makers, breeders, empowers genebanks of all shapes researchers, and even farmers, and sizes to document and manage whether they are searching for a their collections so nothing falls lost variety or need an overview 4,000,000+ through the cracks. GRIN-Global is of where diversity can be found in currently used by twelve genebanks the global system. Genesys is a key ACCESSIONS globally: four in the CGIAR and element of the Global Information DISCOVERABLE eight in national programs. System being put in place by the Twenty-eight other genebanks are Plant Treaty, which will go beyond RIGHT NOW IN evaluating or are in the process of genebanks to cover all plant implementing GRIN-Global as their genetic resources. GENESYS Speaking out for diversity

The Crop Trust has always been a with it a crystal-clear recognition maintains close ties with some of voice for crop diversity in general of how this ambition rested on a the key stakeholders of SDG Target and genebanks in particular. base of precious crop diversity. 2.5, including the UN Food and Communications and advocacy In its Target 2.5, it calls on all Agriculture Organization and the have been a constant and countries to safeguard and share Convention on Biological Diversity. It necessary part of its mission over the genetic diversity of crops and raises awareness of the work going the years, from the exuberant media livestock by 2020. on around the world to safeguard interest around the Svalbard Global agricultural diversity – and it rallies Seed Vault, to engaging stories This target set one of the closest support not just around genebanks, of collecting crop wild relatives end dates seen anywhere in the but also dinner tables. in every corner of the world, to SDGs and demanded a sweeping, campaigns like #CropsInColor, broad-based response. The Food The Initiative’s flagship Food which documents diverse Forever Initiative was born. This Forever Experience, of which there farming and foodways through global advocacy partnership have been six so far, opens up the photography. has brought together politicians, conversation even more, inviting farmers, chefs, entrepreneurs people everywhere to imagine Through their participation in and many other voices to call the future of food. Working with formulating the Sustainable for changes in the way people innovative chefs to showcase Development Goals (SDGs), conserve, grow, sell, consume and cuisine using surprising ingredients agreed in 2015, the Crop Trust value crop diversity. that participants might not have and its partners helped teach the seen before, the Food Forever whole international development The Food Forever Initiative is Experience plants the seed for community to speak the language chaired by Mercedes Aráoz, Vice important conversations about of crop conservation. Goal 2, President of Peru, and a strong a more diverse, sustainable and aiming for zero hunger, brought advocate for biodiversity. It exciting food future for all. 4,000,000+ ACCESSIONS DISCOVERABLE SDG TARGET 2.5: RIGHT NOW IN SAFEGUARD AND SHARE GENESYS DIVERSITY BY 2020 Join us in completing the task

At the Crop Trust, we know crop diversity holds answers to serious problems in the food system. We also know that diversity is under threat but that it can be saved. In just 15 years, we have made enormous progress toward safeguarding the diversity of the world’s most important food crops – so we have no doubt that it can be done. We will complete our global task.

The time and resources this task will take are finite, well understood, and within reach. We are well on our way to meeting the Endowment Fund target that will keep the international genebanks operating forever.

At the same time, we are embarking on a new era of support to national collections. Under our newest initiative, Seeds for Resilience, we have opened a window in the Endowment Fund to provide long- term support to national genebanks that promise to be entry points for developing climate-resilient crops. In the coming years we will help five African genebanks step up to fulfil this vital role.

These and our other efforts – to advance how genebanks work, how they share material, how they add missing unique diversity, how they manage data, and how they protect their collections from the unexpected – can all be completed in the years ahead.

What will it take? What’s required to get the rest of the way to the vision of a true global system? One that will fulfil the potential of the Plant Treaty and secure the foundations of food for good? The answer is simple: we need support from all who are prepared to take action. For more information on ways to get involved in the future of We need people in every country to speak to their governments, crop diversity, please visit urging them to contribute to the Endowment Fund and support international action for a shared resource that no country can do croptrust.org/take-action, without, and no country has enough of. We need foundations, private or write to companies and individuals to join us in imagining an effective, efficient [email protected] or global system for safeguarding the basis of our food, and, most [email protected]. importantly, making it a reality.