World agriculture is facing its biggest challenge due to population growth and climate change. Crop diversity is critical for adapting to these challenges but many varieties have been lost. The Crop Trust works to conserve crop diversity globally to ensure food security. A new initiative called DivSeek aims to facilitate open access to genomic and phenotypic data associated with genebank collections through common data standards. This will help breeders develop climate-resilient crops and address food insecurity.

2. World Agriculture
• Facing its biggest challenge
ever, due to population growth
and climate change
We need to find game
changers
2

3. Rice
• Plus 1ºC could result in a decrease of
yield by 10%
• Plus 2ºC is potentially catastrophic
• New diseases as a consequence of a
changing weather
 We need to make crops climate
ready
3

4. UN Sustainable Development Goals
Proposed goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and
promote sustainable agriculture
• 2.5: by 2020 maintain genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants, farmed and
domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly
managed and diversified seed and plant banks at national, regional and
international levels, and ensure access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits
arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional
knowledge as internationally agreed
Crop diversity is a prerequisite for food security
4

5. Diversity
• 200,000 varieties of rice
• 120,000 varieties of wheat
• 4,500 varieties of potatoes
• 35,000 varieties of finger millet
• 3,000 varieties of coconut
 All are important because one might have the trait
to increase nutritious value, fight disease,
adapt to new climates, or produce higher yields
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6. Loss of diversity
• Spain: had 400 melon varieties in 1970, only 12 today
• China: lost 90% of rice varieties since 1950
• Mexico: lost 80% of corn varieties since 1900
• India: lost 90% of rice varieties since 1900
• USA: lost 90% of fruit and vegetable varieties since 1900
Genetic uniformity creates vulnerability – resilience
require options – options require diversity
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7. The Crop Trust work…
to ensure the conservation and availability
of crop diversity for food security
worldwide
7

8. Crop diversity – a global common good
Crop diversity = breeders’ raw material
8

9. The objective…
is a cost-effective, rational, and global system for the
conservation of crop diversity
Picture: Neil Palmer/CIAT
9

10. Svalbard Global Seed Vault
801 752 varieties stored
in the vault
The ultimate safety
back-up
10

12. 11 CGIAR Genebanks
12
Africa Rice Center
Centre du rizpour l’Afrique
Afr caR ce

13. Rescued Crops Worldwide
59,429 seed and
13,615 vegetative
accessions
in 226 collections
managed by 84
institutes
in 71 countries
12 000 varieties lost
-we were too late
-lost forever

14. Crop Wild Relatives
• Tough — with traits not found
in domesticated varieties
 Broadening the gene pool
to search for useful traits
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15. Untapped opportunities
Vast pool of genetic resources in genebanks represent a
treasure trove for crop improvement
15

16. Genebanks used – but not effectively

17. Genebanks - supermarket
17

18. Applying cutting edge technology
18

19. Labeling the cans
We can label all the genebank cans with rich information (disease, drought,
nutrition, storage, yield), speed up breeding processes, make plants more
resilient/climate ready and contribute substantially to food security

20. Genebank database caos
• 7 million accessions in 1700 genebanks
• > 2 million unique accessions
• Lots of genebank databases, not all online
• Characterization and evaluation data linked to accessions not
easily available
• Let alone genotypic data
• Like finding a needle in a haystack

21. GeneSys: A step forward
• Single online portal
global gateway to genetic
resources
• 2.7 million accessions
• 300 genebanks: US,
Europe, CGIAR
• Passport data
• Some morphological
characterization and
evaluation data
• Not enough...

22. The genomics revolution
Large-scale sequencing/genotyping efforts of genebank
collections:
• Seeds of Discovery (CIMMYT, Mexico)
• 120,000 wheat; 27,500 maize
• 3,000 rice accessions (BGI, CAAS, IRRI)
• then 100,000 (whole collection)
• Cassava collection (CIAT, Colombia)
• National initiatives
• Lots more no doubt coming...

23. Stakeholders and partners
 many stakeholders, many relevant past and ongoing projects
sequence trait data
data
passport
data
Wheat
Rice
Maize
Beans
Bananas
Potatoes
Barley
Cassava
Forages
CWR
CWR
CWR
CWR
CWR

24. DivSeek
• DivSeek will mine the
wealth of genetic resources
to enhance food and
nutritional security
• Provide a common platform
for sharing information and
learning from each other

25. DivSeek value propositions
• link large-scale sequencing and
phenotyping data to publicly
available germplasm
• simple, standardized formats
and associated analysis tools
• data shared according to agreed
common standards and in form
easily digestible by breeders and
other genebank users
• unified, coordinated and
cohesive information
management platform to
provide easy access to
genotypic and phenotypic
data associated with
genebank germplasm.

26. Recent progress
• Release of white paper and
website www.divseek.org
• Importance underlined at the
Third Meeting of G20
Agricultural Chief Scientists

27. The CTrhoep E Dnidvoewrsmitye nFtu Fnudn (dCDF)
Endowment today
$170 M
2014
27

28. The Crop Diversity Fund (CDF)
Endowment today
Planned endowment size
by 2018
$850 M
2018
$500 M 2015
$170 M
2014 2018
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29. Burdensharing
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To date, 14 country
donors have pledged
the bulk of the
endowment funding --
among them:
Australia, Germany,
Norway, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland,
the United Kingdom
and the United States
of America.

30. 30
Thank you
www.croptrust.org

31. The DivSeek process
• Community-driven process: various consultations over past 2 years, facilitated by
Crop Trust
• White Paper: Strategic road-map (see www.divseek.org)
• Expressions of interest are to be circulated
• Development of governance structure
• Establishment of technical working group on standard setting and best practices
• Facilitation Unit hosted by Crop Trust - joint implementation with the
International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture with
inputs by CGIAR consortium office and the Global Plant Council