Breathing New Life into Global Crop Conservation Strategies

Think about sunflowers, and there is a good chance that Vincent van Gogh's masterful artworks will leap to mind. His series of sunflower paintings, created in the late 19th century, are timeless representations of the flower's...

If you have ever eaten fish and chips in the north of England, you will likely have been confronted with a side order of mushy peas. Depending on where you come from, these are either a delicacy or hideous slop destined for the...

Many people will be familiar with the old adage, “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” But life did not give us lemons. The lemon is not a naturally occurring fruit, but a cross between a sour orange and a citron. And a sour...

In the highlands of Peru, a group of farmers safeguard their livelihoods and those of future generations. They are conserving the diversity of their staple food: the potato.

Some members of AGUAPAN (Association of Guardians of...

To some people, broccoli is like math: You’re pretty sure that you won’t enjoy it, so you assume that you need to sugar-coat it – or, rather, cheese-coat it – for it to become somewhat palatable.

But what if we were kinder to...

What behaves like a chameleon, comes in 50 shades of red, green, orange, yellow and even purple, and gets sweeter with age?

It may sound like a creature from a fairy tale, but the real world of plants has an answer all of its...

The Crop Trust facilitated the update of a global strategy to conserve the diversity of Vigna and its wild relatives to help ensure food and nutrition security.

Have you ever eaten koki, Hoppin' John, chè đậu trắng, lǜdòu...

The Crop Trust facilitated the update of a global strategy to conserve the diversity of sorghum and its wild relatives.

The “camel of crops” is a true physiological marvel. It’s one of our toughest cereals and can survive in...

When it comes to sustainability, the livestock sector has a bad reputation. One way to reduce its environmental impact is to breed better forages: the grasses and other plants that are eaten by farm animals. The genetic resources...

Yields of yams could be boosted—and with them food security—by using their biodiversity more efficiently, according to a strategy for yam conservation facilitated by the Crop Trust.

In the United States and the Caribbean, the...

2023 marks the International Year of Millets – hardy, nutritious crops that are in decline. A recently published global conservation strategy maps out how to keep millets on our plates. 

They’re hardy, reliable, rich in...

'Curcurbits' isn't really a term we use around the dinner table ... but we sure love to eat them. Pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, watermelons, musk melons, chayote ... and don't forget the egusi melons. They are all curcubits, and...

The peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), also known as groundnut, is native to South America but is now grown throughout the tropics and subtropics. There, this delicious legume is a subsistence crop for many, as well as an important...

The Crop Trust facilitated the development of a global strategy to conserve the diversity of eggplant and its wild relatives to help ensure food and nutrition security. 

If there was a contest for the most glamorous vegetable,...

Baking enthusiasts everywhere love to talk about vanilla—what type they like, how they use it, and of course, its delicious flavor and aroma.

But the “real” vanilla is under threat.

Vanilla pods are the fruit of orchids in the ...