Genebanks and Diversity Within Species

Why It Matters

Conserving within-species genetic diversity supplies the raw material for breeding resilient, nutrient-rich crops that boost farmer incomes and public health while helping agriculture adapt to climate shocks. These genebanks are a strategic, low-cost insurance policy for global food security and nutrition.

Summary

Genebanks conserve genetic diversity within species that underpins resilient food systems, with Future Seeds alone holding tens of thousands of accessions including 37,000 beans, 22,000 forages and nearly 6,000 cassava types. Single accessions—such as Arachis cardenasii accession 8216, a wild groundnut from Bolivia—have supplied disease-resistance genes used worldwide and generated an estimated $200 million in additional farmer income in India. Crosses between crop wild relatives and landraces have produced high-yielding, zinc-rich wheat varieties released in Pakistan and India, with trials showing improved child nutrition. Altogether, some 720,000 samples conserved across 11 CGIAR genebanks offer breeders and farmers options to adapt crops to pests, malnutrition and climate change.

Original Description

🌱 We often think of biodiversity as diversity between species - but diversity within species is just as important.

The eleven CGIAR genebanks conserve and make available more than 720k samples of over 30 crops, including over 150k types of wheat and over 130k types of rice.

Today on #BiodiversityDay, join us for a tour of our genebanks in #Colombia 🇨🇴, #Côted’Ivoire 🇨🇮, #India 🇮🇳, and #Mexico 🇲🇽 to learn how this diversity benefits farmers and consumers across the world:

🍚 A type of African rice resistant to drought, iron toxicity, and pests and diseases, and used to create varieties benefitting millions of people in Africa

🥜 A wild plant from #Bolivia 🇧🇴 used to develop disease-resistant varieties of groundnut, generating over $200M additional income for farmers in #India 🇮🇳

🌾 Landraces and wild relatives used to develop high yielding zinc-fortified wheat, benefitting children’s health in several countries including #Pakistan 🇵🇰

If that’s what we can achieve with a handful of samples, imagine the potential of the 720k+ samples in the CGIAR Genebanks. Our mission is to unlock that potential 🚀.

#WithScienceWeCan #FoodSecurity #CropDiversity

@bioversityciat @AfricaRicecom @ICRISATCo @CimmytOrg