CAMPAIGNS
Seed Heroes
Where Dedication Meets Action in the Ongoing Effort to Safeguard Our Planet's Vital Genetic Resources
Embark on a captivating journey with Seed Heroes, a special campaign by the Crop Trust, as we celebrate 20 years since our establishment in 2004.
From remote fields to bustling labs, Seed Heroes have tirelessly worked to secure our agricultural legacy and food security.
Who are our Seed Heroes? They are visionaries from around the globe, whose unwavering dedication has shaped the landscape of crop diversity conservation. Without their monumental and courageous strides in global plant genetic resources conservation, the world and our organization would have been very different.
Join us in exploring the stories of motivation, triumphs, and lasting impact, as we commemorate two decades of Crop Trust's crucial role in ensuring a resilient and diverse food future.
Susan McCouch: Pioneer of Modern Rice Breeding
This edition of our Seed Heroes series is about U.S. scientist Dr. Susan McCouch, who developed the first-ever molecular map of rice and accelerated breeding of improved varieties worldwide through innovative technology.
13 Dec 2024
Ehsan Dulloo: Mauritian Champion of Biodiversity Who Set Standards for Genebanks
This month, Dr. Ehsan Dulloo joins the ranks of the Crop Trust’s Seed Heroes for his contribution to the development of internationally agreed genebank standards, widely used manuals for seed handling, and biodiversity...
21 Nov 2024
Cary Fowler: Crop Diversity Visionary and World Food Prize Laureate
This month, we celebrate the life of Cary Fowler, a key figure in the creation of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and co-recipient of the World Food Prize in 2024 for his dedication to conserving crop diversity in the face of...
28 Oct 2024
Geoffrey Hawtin: Crop Diversity Pioneer Who Won the World Food Prize
In this instalment of our Seed Heroes series, we celebrate the work of Geoffrey Hawtin OBE, a co-recipient of the 2024 World Food Prize, who believes that agricultural biodiversity is a significant part of the solution to the most...
7 Oct 2024
Melinda Smale: Exploring the Economic Value of Crop Diversity Conservation
This month, Melinda Smale enters the pantheon of Seed Heroes for her influential research on the economic value of crop diversity, helping shape agricultural policies across the globe and inspiring a generation of young...
30 Aug 2024
Otto Frankel: 1960s Trailblazer for Plant Biodiversity Conservation
In this installment of the Seed Heroes series, we commemorate the life of Otto Frankel, the Austrian-born scientist who pioneered the genetic resources conservation movement later in life after a prominent career as a plant...
15 Jul 2024
Evangelina Villegas: The First Woman to Receive the World Food Prize
In this installment of our Seed Heroes series, we celebrate the life of Mexican scientist Evangelina Villegas, who co-developed a new variety of protein-building maize that improved diets for millions of malnourished people around...
19 Jun 2024
Carlos Ochoa: The Indiana Jones of the Potato World
In this installment of our Seed Heroes series, we remember the unique contributions of Peruvian scientist Carlos Ochoa, whose hazardous collection expeditions in search of wild potatoes paved the way for many of today’s improved...
24 May 2024
Erna Bennett: A Crop Diversity Maverick
In this installment of our Seed Heroes series, we salute the Irish scientist Erna Bennett, whose unheeded calls in the 1960s to halt the rapid decline of crop genetic diversity are echoed in today’s global drive to save plant...
8 Apr 2024
Ahmed Amri: The Singing Scientist of Morocco
In this installment of our Seed Heroes series, we celebrate the life and achievements of Moroccan scientist Ahmed Amri, a pioneer of seed conservation in the Fertile Crescent who helped rescue ICARDA’s genebank during Syria’s...
11 Mar 2024
Jane Toll: Catalyzing and Celebrating Crop Diversity
In this second installment of our Seed Heroes series, we celebrate Jane Toll, the woman, the collector, and the influencer behind the creation of the Crop Trust, which this year celebrates 20 years since it was founded in 2004.
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9 Feb 2024
