In a world increasingly threatened by climate change and biodiversity loss, CGIAR has emerged as a global steward of Genebank system innovation. During the recently held Science and Partnership event in Nairobi, Kenya, CGIAR highlighted over five decades of work conserving agricultural biodiversity. The launch of the CGIAR Genebank Accelerator marks a bold new chapter, positioning Genebanks as vaults of crop diversity and dynamic engines of innovation, equity, and resilience in the face of climate change.
The importance of conserving genetic resources has never been more critical. CGIAR Genebanks hold over 700,000 accessions of more than 3,000 plant species. These collections have been maintained in trust for the international community under agreements with the FAO since 1994. They are freely accessible to researchers, breeders, and farmers worldwide, playing a foundational role in global food security.
“These resources are a global trust for future generations,” said Vania Azevedo, Interim Director of CGIAR Genebanks, highlighting their essential role as a safety net as crop productivity and resilience are increasingly threatened by climate extremes. “These collections are not proprietary they are global public goods, freely accessible to researchers, farmers, and breeders around the world. They are essential to global food security, especially as climate change threatens crop productivity and diversity on an unprecedented scale.”
The Genebank Accelerator serves to preserving the past but, more importantly, enabling the future. By integrating AI, genomics, and cloud-based platforms, the initiative is transforming how genetic resources are accessed, shared, and valued. With a strong focus on inclusive policy and capacity building, CGIAR ensures that the benefits of agrobiodiversity reach smallholders, women, and marginalized communities.
Strengthening Systems through Collaboration: Communities of Practice
As CGIAR charts its course toward 2030, the Genebank Accelerator is set to become a cornerstone of a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable global food system. Collaboration is key to realizing the full potential of genebanks. During a side event titled “Building Stronger Genebank Networks,” experts spotlighted the transformative role of Communities of Practice (CoPs) structured, goal-driven collaborations that unify efforts across CGIAR and national systems.
The event brought together leaders and practitioners including Marie-Noelle Ndjiondjop from AfricaRice, leader of the Area of Work of the Genebanks Accelerator, dedicated to capacity sharing. These experts emphasized that Communities of Practice are much more than informal networks. They are structured, goal-oriented initiatives designed to foster collaboration, improve technical capacity, and ensure the delivery of global public goods in a more efficient Global System for Genetic Resources conservation through the CGIAR Genebank Accelerator.
From Seed Quality Management to Germplasm Health, CoPs harmonize practices, build capacity, and share cutting-edge diagnostics and digital tools. For example, the Latin American CoP on Digital Sequence Information (DSI) leverages genomics to characterize germplasm, while the Database Management CoP is rolling out GRIN-Global Community Edition (GGCE) to unify global Genebank data. These networks are not siloed; CGIAR actively works with National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) to co-develop standards of practice, share real-time data on platforms like Genesys, and strengthen legal compliance through the Policy CoP. This approach is already earning recognition, with an independent review by CGIAR Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service ( IAES) praising CoPs for enhancing coordination and resilience across the global conservation system.
Despite the wealth of diversity in CGIAR Genebanks, access remains a challenge. Users often face scattered phenotypic databases, inefficient request systems, and limited trait data, leading to underutilization. But this is changing rapidly. At Science Week, the session “Unlocking the Diversity of Genebank Collections Through Digital Tools & AI” demonstrated the importance of modernizing access to genetic resources. AI innovations like envGWAS, AI-driven phenotyping, and smart search assistants are being piloted to radically accelerate discovery. By integrating these tools into CGIAR platforms, Genebanks are becoming more agile, user-friendly, and impactful, ensuring the right seed reaches the right hands at the right time.
Cryopreservation and Resilience
These genetic resources are essential for breeding crops that are more productive, nutritious, and resilient to stresses like drought, disease, and temperature extremes. None of these gains matter if the genetic materials themselves are not safe. Strengthening cryopreservation infrastructure has now become a global priority. For crops that cannot be preserved as dry seeds, such as clonal and recalcitrant seed crops, cryopreservation has emerged as a revolutionary solution.
The International Potato Center (CIP) is leading this charge. In Peru, CIP’s new Cryo Vault offers earthquake-proof, ultra-low temperature storage and currently holds over 4,600 potato accessions, with space for tens of thousands of other crops and species. These accessions can be preserved for centuries without electricity and remain protected from natural disasters, pandemics, or conflict. Cryopreservation is an effective and also cost-efficient, sustainable, and remarkably robust conservation method.
Since 2022, a Latin America and Caribbean initiative has trained 10 NARS partners in cryo-techniques. A 2024 workshop also aligned seven CGIAR centers – including CIP, Bioversity, IITA, and CIAT – confirming cryopreservation as not just a technical or backup option but a strategic necessity for long-term global food security. Momentum is building around cryopreservation within the CGIAR system.
Despite this progress, further investment is urgently needed. Many collections remain vulnerable, and time is running out to secure them. Cryopreservation offers one of the most secure, sustainable, and resilient options for preserving the world’s most valuable plant genetic resources. If we are serious about building a food system that can endure climate change and future crises, then supporting genebanks and the cryopreservation infrastructure that protects them must be a global priority.
Digital Tools and AI Shaping the Future of Agricultural Innovation
The “Unlocking the Diversity of Genebank Collections Through Digital Tools & AI,” session during CGIAR Science Week, presented by Bettina Heider, genetic resources scientist at CIP, affirmed the future of global agricultural innovation. The central message was clear: the most important aspect of Genebank modernization is harnessing AI and digital tools to connect users with the right germplasm faster and more accurately.
Despite holding vast genetic diversity, Genebanks are often underutilized. Users face major obstacles scattered databases, inefficient request systems, and limited trait data that slow research and breeding efforts. Currently, more than half of germplasm requests are done through e-mail messages and not official platforms presenting a significant opportunity to enhance communication, streamline processes, and save valuable time for researchers and breeders.
Innovations such as AI-driven phenotyping, environmental genome-wide association analysis (envGWAS), digital sequencing and intelligent digital assistants are being piloted to revolutionize how researchers and breeders find the right genetic resources. The vision is bold: a fully integrated, AI-supported knowledge gateway that enables intelligent querying, matching, and distribution of germplasm across CGIAR collections. Projects like Tubers2Go are already showing promise, combining genotype data, environmental variables, and user queries to recommend optimal materials for breeding and research. This transformation marks a shift from passive conservation and distribution to proactive engagement where digital intelligence unlocks the full potential of Genebanks, empowering global food security and climate adaptation.