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Inaugurating the newly modernized International Vegetable Genebank

TAINAN CITY, March 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) held the inauguration ceremony of the modernized International Vegetable Genebank, marking a significant milestone for one of the world's most important vegetable genetic resource repositories.

The event was attended by Taiwan's Minister of Agriculture, Chen Junne-jih, the Executive Director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust (Crop Trust), Stefan Schmitz, representatives from Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, agricultural research institutions, private sector leaders, and distinguished guests from South Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Eswatini. Together, they witnessed the official reopening of the upgraded genebank. The Minister of Agriculture stated, "The modernization of the International Vegetable Genebank aligns with Taiwan's commitment to global food security and sustainable agriculture. By preserving and sharing vital vegetable genetic resources, we are empowering future generations with the tools to combat climate change, enhance nutrition, and ensure resilient food systems worldwide.," while Crop Trust Executive Director Stefan Schmitz emphasized, "The International Vegetable Genebank plays a critical role in securing the future of vegetable diversity. With this modernization, WorldVeg is ensuring that these invaluable genetic resources remain accessible to breeders, scientists, and farmers who rely on them to build climate-resilient and productive food systems."

The ceremony took place at WorldVeg's newly inaugurated research building, opened in 2024. Following the ribbon cutting, guests toured the enhanced genebank facilities, gaining insights into WorldVeg's latest advancements in crop genetic resource conservation, breeding research, and global food security initiatives.

The importance of the WorldVeg genebank and the need for modernization

Genetic diversity is essential for ensuring food and nutritional security. The World Vegetable Center's genebank has long been dedicated to conserving vegetable genetic resources, currently holding over 55,000 seed accessions of 330 vegetable species from 155 countries. Additionally, its Africa Vegetable Genebank in Tanzania preserves 6,000 seed accessions of indigenous African vegetables, making it the largest vegetable genetic resource collection in the world.

Over the past 50 years, WorldVeg, based in Taiwan, has distributed more than 700,000 seed samples to agricultural researchers, breeders, private sector stakeholders, and farmers in over 200 countries and territories, leading to the development of hundreds of new vegetable varieties. This has significantly contributed to agricultural development, livelihoods, and nutrition worldwide.

However, urbanization, climate change, biodiversity loss, and emerging pests and diseases pose growing threats. Safeguarding and effectively utilizing vegetable genetic diversity has become more urgent than ever. The World Vegetable Center initially established its seed collection 50 years ago and gradually expanded it, culminating in the construction of a dedicated genebank in 2010 with funding from Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, after years of operation, aging storage facilities have compromised optimal seed preservation conditions and energy efficiency, limiting WorldVeg's ability to fully support global sustainable agriculture and food security. Modernization was imperative.

The modernization project

To ensure that the genebank continues to serve as a crucial global resource, Taiwan's Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) provided a grant of NTD 17 million (about USD 515,000) in 2024 to support infrastructure upgrades, including the following.

• Upgrading temperature and humidity control systems to enhance seed longevity and ensure long-term conservation of genetic diversity.
• Improving inventory management and seed distribution systems to increase accessibility and efficiency for researchers and breeding programs worldwide.
• Constructing a new seed laboratory and renovating storage facilities to enhance energy efficiency and ensure the genebank's long-term operational stability.

These enhancements will significantly improve genebank efficiency, enabling it to continue serving as a vital resource for global agriculture while further establishing itself as a key hub for international agricultural collaboration. This modernization will multiply WorldVeg's impact on global agricultural development, food security, and climate resilience.

International collaboration and future development

Looking ahead, WorldVeg aims to further expand international partnerships to solidify its role as a global center for vegetable genetic resource conservation and research, with a focus on:

• Genome sequencing and trait discovery, enabling the development of more climate-resilient vegetable varieties.
• Collaboration with national seed banks to enhance regional seed conservation efforts and strengthen global food supply chains.
• Partnerships with the private sector to promote seed industry development and accelerate the dissemination of high-quality vegetable varieties.

This modernization project is not just an infrastructure upgrade—it is a strategic investment in global food security and agricultural resilience. By enhancing conservation efforts, expanding international partnerships, and improving access to genetic resources, WorldVeg will continue ensuring that vegetable biodiversity remains a key solution in the fight against climate change and global hunger.

However, this is just the beginning. There is still much to be done. WorldVeg looks forward to working closely with global partners to further expand its impact. With Taiwan as its base, WorldVeg remains committed to advancing global agriculture, food security, and human well-being.

Appendices

About the Global Crop Diversity Trust (Crop Trust)

The Global Crop Diversity Trust (Crop Trust) is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the long-term conservation and sustainable use of crop genetic diversity worldwide. Crop Trust supports the operation of genebanks around the world, including the World Vegetable Center and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, commonly known as the "Doomsday Vault". Located in the Svalbard archipelago of Norway, the vault stores backup seed collections from across the globe to safeguard food security for future generations.

Crop Trust collaborates with governments, research institutions, and genebanks to ensure that crop genetic resources remain accessible for agricultural production, biodiversity conservation, and global food security. As a strategic partner of Crop Trust, WorldVeg continues to work towards strengthening vegetable genetic resource conservation and ensuring that farmers and researchers worldwide have access to high-quality vegetable seeds, securing the future of sustainable agriculture.

About the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg)

The World Vegetable Center is an international nonprofit institute for vegetable research and development. It mobilizes resources from the public and private sectors to realize the potential of vegetables for healthier lives and more resilient livelihoods. WorldVeg's globally important genebanks, improved varieties, production, and postharvest methods help farmers to increase their vegetable harvest, raise incomes in poor rural and urban households, create jobs, and provide healthier, more nutritious diets for families and communities. With headquarters in Taiwan, field operations are led from regional centers in Benin, India, Mali, Tanzania, and Thailand and through offices in other countries.

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SOURCE World Vegetable Center