3. International Treaty on
Plant Genetic Resources
• CBD (1993) stimulated interest in biodiversity
conservation and use
• Need for instrument geared to needs of agricultural
genetic resources
• Negotiations initiated Nov. 1993 by FAO
Commission on PGRFA
• International Treaty text adopted 2001 and entered
into force 2004
• CGIAR collections covered under Article 15 –
replacing earlier agreements with FAO
3
4. CGIAR Collections
• Diverse, global
• Well used
• Increasing funding restrictions
– 1995 External genebank review raised
serious funding concerns
– Following another review, an investment and
upgrading plan was agreed in 1999 (funded
by World Bank)
• However, still no guaranteed long term funding
4
5. The Crop Trust idea emerges
By the early 2000s:
• Clear need for long-term, sustainable funding
(CGIAR and other genebanks)
• Endowment fund - appropriate mechanism
• Policies becoming clearer: access, benefit
sharing (ITPGRFA imminent)
• CGIAR roles and responsibilities increasingly
accepted internationally
5
6. Creation of the Crop Trust
May 2000: CGIAR endorsed the recommendation
of Bioversity International to explore possibility of
an endowment fund to support the in-trust
collections.
Wide consultations followed with FAO, OECD
countries, developing countries, GFAR and
various NGOs: in general strong support for
the idea
6
7. The growth of an idea
October 2000: Feasibility study initiated, contracted
to Community Counseling Service (CCS), funded
by SGRP, Future Harvest Foundation and World
Bank.
Interviews with >130 individuals from
governments, foundations, corporations etc. in
>30 countries
Provided backing by CGIAR, FAO and
World Bank, feasible to raise endowment for
CGIAR and other key collections
7
8. Taking the next steps
• 2001-2003: extensive discussions with all
major stakeholders, spearheaded by
Bioversity International on behalf of the
CGIAR and FAO
• July 2002: report published by Imperial
College, London: Diversity at Risk: the Case
for Sustaining Crop Collections.
• August 2002: World Summit on Sustainable
Development, Johannesburg - FAO and
CGIAR formally committed to establishing
the Crop Trust
• Sept. 2002: Website launched
8
9. Oct. 2003, FAO CGRFA endorsed the initiative:
…. on the joint efforts of FAO and the CGIAR to establish a Global
Conservation Trust, to provide, in perpetuity, a flow of funds for ex situ
conservation by national and international institutions …. The Trust
would operate in the framework of the International Treaty, and be an
essential element of its Funding Strategy. The overall policy guidance to
the Trust would come from the Governing Body of the Treaty.
This initiative was universally appreciated and supported, and appeals
were made to donors to assist in the establishment of the Trust…..
Governance
9
10. The first “Board”
• Following a stakeholder meeting in London in
July 2002, FAO and Bioversity International set
up an interim board, known as the Interim
Panel of Eminent Experts (IPEE).
• IPEE held its first meeting in February 2003:
– Trust to be an independent international
organization
– Initiated negotiations of Establishment
Agreement, Constitution and Relationship
agreement with FAO
– Contracted CCS for fundraising services
– Initial funds received from Brazil Colombia
and Australia
10
11. Interim Panel of Eminent Experts
• Ambassador Fernando Gerbasi (Venezuela): Chairman, Former Chair of the Commission on
Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
• Andrew Bennett (UK), Executive Director, the Syngenta Foundation
• Lukas Brader (the Netherlands) Former Director General, IITA, Nigeria
• Lewis Coleman (United States) President, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
• Tewolde Egziabher (Ethiopia): DG, Environmental Protection Authority, Ethiopia
• Walter Fust (Switzerland): DG, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
• Chebet Maikut (Uganda): President, Uganda National Farmers Federation
• Mohammad H. Roozitalab (Iran): DDG, Agricultural Research and Education Organization,
Iran and Chair, GFAR
• Setijati Sastrapradja (Indonesia): Scientist, Indonesian Institute of Sciences
• Ismail Serageldin (Egypt): ex Chair, CGIAR and a senior VP, World Bank
• Geoff Hawtin (UK/Canada): DG, IPGRI
11
12. The Crop Trust is born
• IPEE approved the Constitution and Establishment Agreement in
October 2003
• By early 2004, 11 countries signed the Establishment Agreement:
Cape Verde, Egypt, Ethiopia, Mali, Togo, Ecuador, Jordan, Morocco,
Syria, Samoa, and Tonga.
• 21 October 2004: Crop Trust acquired international legal personality
when Sweden signed
• July 2005 Geoff Hawtin stood down as the first Executive Secretary
• Cary Fowler – Executive Director (2005 – 2012)
• Marie Haga – Executive Director (2013 – present)
12
13. The Crop Trust Now
• Independent autonomous international organization
– Secretariat in Bonn from January 2013
• Endowment to secure long-term funding for global system
– Complementary short-term project funding to overcome key
constraints
• Policy framework of International Treaty on PGRFA
– Element of the funding strategy of the Treaty
• Governed by Executive Board
– Treaty GB, Donors Council, FAO, CGIAR
13
14. 14
Pieces of the Puzzle
Global Crop
Diversity Trust Globally
agreed
framework
Information
Systems
Svalbard
Global
Seed
Vault
International
Collections
International
Treaty
on
PGRFA
National
Collections
15. The Global System we need
Global back-up
Safety duplicate collection
Long-term international collection
National collection
Breeding collection
On-farm management
Conservation
Use
15
16. • Each unique crop sample housed in
– a genebank of international standards
– the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
• Key collections actively managed and curated
• Good information systems in place
• Timely, uncomplicated provision of quality material
• Reliable, long-term funding
16
The Global System we need
18. To conserve the diversity of plant genetic
resources in CGIAR-held collections, to make it
available to breeders and researchers in a manner
that meets high international scientific standards,
is cost efficient, is secure, reliable and
sustainable over the long-term and is supportive
of and consistent with ITPGRFA
Collaboration with CGIAR
18
19. CGIAR collections, 2013
(number of samples per crop)
– Barley: ICARDA 27,000
– Beans: CIAT 36,000
– Chickpea: ICARDA + ICRISAT 34,000
– Forages: CIAT + ICARDA + ILRI 66,000
– Maize: CIMMYT +IITA 28,000
– Potato: CIP 7,000
– Rice: AfricaRice + IRRI 129,000
– Wheat: CIMMYT + ICARDA 167,000
TOTAL for all crops ≈750,000
• Approx 100,000 samples distributed per year
• Samples are freely available upon request
19
20. Monitoring tools
– Annual reports
– QMS development
– External review
– Centre own
monitoring
Management and Governance
Online Reporting
External Reviews
– 2012 – IRRI, ILRI
– 2013 – CIAT, Bioversity,
CIMMYT
– 2014 – IITA, AfricaRice,
ICRISAT
First round to be completed
by 2015
Performance
Indicators
20
21. 2012 Report
1.27 million samples used within the CGIAR and
disseminated to 105 countries
AfricaRice
ICRISAT
CIMMYT
IRRI
ICARDA
21
23. Saving at risk collections
REGENERATION
• 79,725 regenerated
• 4,268 put in vitro
• 12,619 not viable
• Involving 86
institutes in 77
countries
SAFETY DUPLICATION
• 43,676 accessions
• 56 countries
• 12 not Treaty parties
23
24. Genesys: A global information portal for crop diversity
Information Systems
• Searchable on passport, characterization, evaluation and
ecogeographic descriptors
• Expandable to include all genebanks!
25. • Online portal to accession-level information on the world’s genebank
holdings
• Initially developed as investment from GCDT, Bioversity, and
ITPGRFA-Secretariat
• Initially encompasses CGIAR/held International Collections, Eurisco
and USDA
• Searchable on passport, characterization, evaluation and
ecogeographic descriptors
• Plans for further development and improvement
• Expandable to include all genebanks!
Information Systems
25
26. • An information management system for
genebanks
• The new incarnation of USDA’s Genetic
Resources Information System (GRIN)
• “Open source” software for continued
development and maintenance by the user
community
Information Systems
26
27. Crop Wild Relatives
A wide spectrum of diversity can be found
on the other side of the domestication
bottleneck
• Many breeders are keen to reach back
through time and get hold of some of the
diversity in ‘crop wild relatives’
27
28. • Identify , collect, conserve, document
and use key CWR diversity for
climate change adaptation
• 26 target crops
• Partnership with Millennium Seed
Bank, Kew
• $50 million over 10 years pledged by
Norwegian government, starting
2011
Timetable
Crop Wild Relatives
28
32. More than 820,000
varieties stored in the
vault
Seeds from nearly every
country in the world
deposited by 58
institutes
32
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
33. 2013 at a glance
• 29,155 new safety duplicates from 12 depositors were stored in the
Vault. This increased holdings by about 4%; total holding by the end of
the year was 801,752 samples.
• Six institutions signed the Standard Deposit Agreement: Australia (2),
Japan, Thailand (2) and Uzbekistan.
• Chamber two is filled to 77% of its current capacity.
33
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
34. Cost of a Global System
Only USD 34 million per year
or an
Endowment Fund of USD 850 million
34
