Supporting Genebanks

The cost of sustaining the world’s genebanks

Despite the cost-effectiveness of genebanks, meeting the long-term operational cost for the conservation of most crop diversity collections is rarely on a secure, sustainable footing. Many genebanks, even the most important ones, stagger uncertainly from one funding cycle to the next, with little scope for long-term planning.

Yet reliability of funding is absolutely crucial—a shortfall in financial resources can lead to the permanent loss of unique varieties. The Crop Trust’s objective is to ensure stable, predictable funding for an efficient and effective global system of crop collections, in perpetuity. That is where the Crop Trust Endowment Fund comes into play.

Without the continuous support of our dedicated partners and donors, the work of the Crop Trust would not be possible. 

An endowment fund to secure crop diversity forever

Through its Endowment Fund, the Crop Trust currently supports key international  genebanks around the world through Long-term Grants (LTGs) and Long-term Partnership Agreements (LPAs).

 

Time-bound support for genebanks

Thanks to generous donors, the Crop Trust also provides shorter-term project support to national genebanks from low and middle-income countries worldwide to upgrade processes and facilities and build the capacity of staff. Current projects managed by the Crop Trust are:

Support through information systems

Information systems and the data they hold are central to the conservation and use of crop diversity, whether at the level of the individual collection or globally. The Crop Trust supports work on both types of system through: