Cover Page

ANNUAL REPORT 2019

Celebrating 15 years of crop diversity conservation

Key figures

Crop varieties added+34K

New samples deposited in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault34,275

Food Forever Experiences9

Food Forever Experiences organized in 8 countries in 20199

Grants provided for conservation$34.2M

Value of grants provided to conserve crop diversity worldwide$34,24M

ContributionsUSD 6 M

Contributions to the Crop Trust endowment fund$6.3M

Accessions Conserved714 K

Accessions conserved in CGIAR collections714,000

Updated accessions in Genesys4M

Number of updated accession records in Genesys4,104,123

Crop accessions distributed66K

Accessions distributed by international collections of crop diversity66,930

Countries receiving samples97

Number of countries receiving samples from Crop Trust-supported collections97

Letters

As we transition into a new phase of our work, we can do so confident in our ability to deliver on the vision of our founders.

The importance of the global family of genebanks as fail-safes for our planet’s future food supply has never been so apparent.

What we do

This Crop Trust-led program ensures that the 11 CGIAR genebanks are running efficiently, that the crop collections they manage are conserved to a high standard, and that as many samples as possible are immediately available when needed.

After six years, 4,644 seed samples of 371 different species of crop wild relatives from all over the world were collected and safeguarded.

The work with crop wild relatives is transitioning from creating new materials to actually growing them in farmers' fields.

What we do

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is an iconic reminder of the remarkable effort taking place around the world to conserve the seeds of our food crops.

Five genebanks in sub-Saharan Africa are the focus of a new Crop Trust project: Seeds4Resilience.

Strengthening information systems allows users to choose the exact crop diversity they need from thousands of samples.

Securing our Food, Forever

Our global crop conservation strategies describe the current status of conservation of major crop collections, and they attempt to identify the highest priority activities and resources required to safeguard the diversity of different genepools.

Food Forever went around the world in 2019 – on a gastronomic and educational voyage – to celebrate the diversity of our foods.

An overview of the activities of the Crop Trust Executive Board and Donors’ Council.

Take action

Our audience is as diverse as the crop diversity we help safeguard.

Some of humanity’s most valuable global assets are being preserved in perpetuity so future generations can have diverse, healthy foods in increasingly unpredictable climatic conditions.

The Crop Trust deeply appreciates the support and commitment from its many donors, without whom none of our work would be possible.

Financial

A summary of the financial performance of the Crop Trust and its endowment fund.

Credits

Crop Trust

Securing our food, forever

www.croptrust.org Subscribe to newsletter

Highlights of the year

Topics

What we do:

Supporting National Genebanks

“National genebanks in sub-Saharan Africa can help drive agricultural development and are integral to the future prosperity of the region.”-Nora Castañeda-Álvarez, Project Manager, Seeds4Resilience, Crop Trust

Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are facing the triple challenge of climate crisis, food and nutritional insecurity, and a rising population. To help drive more resilient and diversified food production, the Crop Trust kicked off the Seeds4Resilience project in 2019. This new five-year initiative funded by the Government of Germany through the German Development Bank (KfW), works with national genebanks in Nigeria, Zambia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Ghana to conserve and share collections of key local crops such as sorghum, millets and cowpea.

These five national genebanks conserve thousands of important seed samples that could help scientists develop more resilient, productive and nutritious crops, but inadequate and irregular funding have put their collections at risk.

Seeds4Resilience provides financial and technical assistance to help these national genebanks reach and maintain international conservation standards. By upgrading equipment, improving internal processes, enhancing the technical capacity of staff, and expanding links to users, the work of each genebank will become more efficient, effective, and user-driven, sensitive to the needs of farmers, scientists and policymakers.

In late 2019, project team members conducted site visits and reviews of the five genebanks, providing updated information on the viability, uniqueness and availability of their material, as well as on how genebank operations are managed.

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Next topic Information Systems

Cover Page

ANNUAL REPORT 2019

Key figures

Crop varieties added+34K

Food Forever Experiences9

Grants provided for conservation$34.2M

ContributionsUSD 6 M

Accessions Conserved714 K

Updated accessions in Genesys4M

Crop accessions distributed66K

Countries receiving samples97

Letters

Sir Peter Crane – Executive Board Chair, Crop Trust

Stefan Schmitz – Executive Director, Crop Trust

What we do

The CGIAR Genebank Platform

Collecting Crop Wild Relatives

Wild Seed, I Think I Love You

What we do

Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Supporting National Genebanks

Information Systems

Securing our Food, Forever

Conservation Strategies

The Food Forever Initiative

Governance

Take action

Spreading the Message

Take Action

Thank You

Financial

Running the Numbers

Credits

Crop Trust

Securing our food, forever

Jan 2019

Feb 2019

Mar 2019

Apr 2019

May 2019

Jun 2019

Jul 2019

Aug 2019

Sep 2019

Oct 2019

Nov 2019

Dec 2019

Topics

Supporting National Genebanks

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