Well, it depends...

1. Conserving Crop Diversity in Genebanks
How are we doing?
10/24/2015

2. • on what you mean, and
• on what kind of mood you’re in
Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde
Well, it depends...

3. • Quantity
• Data
• Collaboration
• Quality
• Use
• Policy
What do you mean?

4. What does Dr Jekyll think?

5. • 7.4 million accessions
1.4 million more than 10 years ago
• 1.9-2.2 million unique
• 1,750 genebanks
130 with >10,000
• 850K in Svalbard
Quantity

7. • World Information & Early Warning System (WIEWS)
• National Information Sharing Mechanism (NISM)
• Lots of genebank databases
national, regional, international
increasing interest in GRIN-Global
• Genesys
2,775,608 accessions, 406 genebanks
Data & metadata

9. • Regional PGR networks covering whole world
ECPGR
NENAPGRN
• Various crop networks
Musa
• CGIAR genebanks working together, and with
national programmes
Collaboration

10. • CIMMYT & ICARDA with Turkey
• ICARDA with Morocco, Lebanon, Greece...
CGIAR Centers & national genebanks

12. • Seed conservation methods well understood & established
• Improving processes
barcoding
automation
• Performance indicators and targets
• QMS (including ISO certification)
• Risk management
• Svalbard for safety duplication in case all else fails
Quality

13. • Lots of evidence of increased, innovative use
• Making use easier
cores
mini-cores
“trait” subsets (FIGS)
• Game-changing molecular technologies (+bioinformatics)
DivSeek
Use

15. More data, more
quickly, for less
money

16. Recent variety
releases in India

17. • State of the World 2 and counting...
• Global Plan of Action (GPA) 2 and counting...
• Global crop strategies
• International Treaty on PGRFA
MLS enhancement process
Policy

20. So what does Dr Jekyll think?
Actually, we’re doing
pretty well!

21. But what does Mr Hyde think?

22. • 1.9-2-2 million unique accessions?
Well, which is it?
• How much is in the MLS?
• How much is dead?
16%? (Crop Trust regeneration project)
Quantity

23. • WIEWS looks like it’s archived
• NISM is just snapshots from a subset of countries,
not being updated?
• 2.8 million accessions in Genesys?
Is that all?
Where are the others?
Discrepancies (eg VIR)
Data & metadata

27. • Networks?
Nice, but what value do they really add to national efforts?
Do they have enough resources?
Look what’s happening to the Article 15 coconut genebank in
PNG!
Collaboration

29. • Networks? How many actually work!
• And what have the CGIAR genebanks done for me lately
anyway?
Collaboration

30. • We still don’t know enough, even about seed storage
Quality

32. • We still don’t know enough, even about seed storage
• Basic challenges remain in many countries
seed drying
data management
• Only 50 non-CGIAR genebanks have deposited in Svalbard
• QMS? What about mistakes we’ve made in the past?
• Do we even agree on all terminology?
• And as for cryo...the less said the better 
Quality

33. • How well do we know our users?
• How often do they tell us if they found what they were
looking for?
• The idea of DivSeek is all well and good, but when are we
going to see results?
Use

35. • We have no idea how well we’re doing in implementing the GPA
• The MLS is not generating enough $$$ for the BSF from users, and
maybe never will
• Not everybody is on board
• There are so many rules!
Policy

38. What does Mr Hyde think?
We’re doomed!

39. What do you think?
Are you a Jekyll or a Hyde?
Will the vision of the future change your mind?
So, how are we really doing?

40. Maybe it would be easier to decide
if we were able to measure impact better...
and that really means getting our data in order
and our success stories straight
Here’s what I think (for now)

41. THANK YOU
WWW.CROPTRUST.ORG