TABLE OF CONTENTS 36 44 48 - Crop Trust · Collecting crop wild relatives 20 Using crop wild relatives 22 ... the United States of America, Switzerland, Finland, India, and Australia,

TABLEOF CONTENTS

01 WELCOME 6 Keyfigures 8

Letters 10

02 WHAT WE DO 14 CGIARGenebankPlatform 16

Collectingcropwildrelatives 20

Usingcropwildrelatives 22

CelebratingadecadeoftheSvalbardGlobalSeedVault 26

Safeguardingrice:Nothinglessthanforever 30

Informationsystems 34

03 CROP TRUST 36 Globalstrategies 38

FoodForever 40

Governance 42

04 FINANCIAL 44 Financialsummary 46

05 THANK YOU 48 Thankyou 50

WELCOME

CROP TRUST 2018 ANNUAL REPORT6 7

WELCOME

01 WELCOME8 9

01

CROP TRUST 2018 ANNUAL REPORT

ACCESSIONS DISTRIBUTED BY CGIAR GENEBANKS

66,930

CROP ACCESSIONS IN GENESYS

1,960,941accession records updated

ACCESSIONS CONSERVED

773,112in CGIAR collections

KEY FIGURES

VALUE OF GRANTS PROVIDED FOR CONSERVATION

USD 34.2MCROP WILD RELATIVES SAMPLES COLLECTED

4,452 Since 2014

NEW CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED

USD 17M

COUNTRIES RECEIVING SAMPLES FROM CROP TRUST-SUPPORTED COLLECTIONS

87

ACCESSIONS ADDED TO SVALBARD

92,638

WELCOME

01 WELCOME10 11

01


Feedingagrowingpopulationisoneofthemostpressingissuesofourtime.Inthecomingyears,theworld’sfarmerswillneedtoproducemore,andmorenutritious,food–onlessland,withlesswater,andwithfewer inputs. Iknow. Iamafarmer.AndthingscertainlyhavechangedsinceIbeganworkingthelandinBoreeCreek, Australia. Agriculture will only get harder and harder.But the one thing that cannot – and will not – change is ourdependenceoncropdiversity.

Cropdiversityprovidesfarmersandplantbreederswithoptionsforadaptingourfoodcropstopresentandfuturechallenges.ThisiswhytheworkoftheCropTrustisfundamentaltooursurvival.It isalsowhyIagreedtojointheCropTrustExecutiveBoardin2013,andwhyIreadilyassumedtheroleofBoardChairin2017.

During these years, I have seenhow a small,multicultural andmulti-talentedteamofdedicatedpeoplebasedinBonn,Germany,hasbeenfighting thegoodfight.For them,everyday isacropdiversityday.AndthisAnnualReportprovidesanoverviewoftheireffortstobuildandsustain,long-term,aglobalsystemforexsituconservation.Butwhatdoesthismean?

Be it working with the 11 international CGIAR centers thattogether hold and make available some of the world’s largestcollections of crop diversity; or providing quality managementtraining and equipment upgrades to national genebanks; orinvesting in improveddata systems so crop collection curatorscankeepbettertrackofthediversitytheyhold–itallleadstothedevelopmentofa rational systemof conservation thatbenefitsusall.

Lastyearwealsocelebratedthe10thanniversaryoftheSvalbardGlobal Seed Vault, the ultimate back-up for the world’s cropgenebanks.TheSeedVaultisalsoauniversalsymbolofhumanity’scommon goal: to secure crop diversity now, for a sustainable,food-securefuture.

In March 2018, the Crop Trust Executive Board met in SaintPetersburg,wherewewerehostedbytheN.I.VavilovResearchInstituteof Plant Industry (VIR). There is somuchhistory there–oftheman,NikolaiVavilov,whodevelopedtheconceptofthecentersoforiginofcultivatedplants–butalsoofthehundredsofthousandsofseedsamplesstoredattheInstitute.TheseincludeseedscollectedbyVavilovandhisteamthatwillserveusinthefuture.

Laterintheyear,theCropTrusttookthehistoricdecisiontofullyfundtheessentialoperationsofthegenebankoftheInternationalRiceResearchInstitute–theworld’slargestricegenebank–forever.ThisprovesthattheCropTrust’sendowmentfundworksandIamsurethat,intheyearstocome,thisunprecedentedachievementwillexpandtomanyotherimportantcropcollections.

Whetheryourealiseitornot,wealldependoncropdiversity–frommyfellowfarmersinAustraliaortheAndes,toconsumersinSydneyorStockholm.Thesameholdstruefornationsacrosstheglobe.Indeed,weliveinaninterdependentworld.Wemustworktogethertomakesurethebasisofourfoodisnotonlysecure,butwithinthereachoffarmersandplantbreederseverywhere.

ThatiswhyIcommendinparticularthegovernmentsofGermany,the United States of America, Switzerland, Finland, India, andAustralia, fortheirgeneroussupporttotheCropTrust In2018.The European Commission, the CGIAR Fund Council, Unilever,and Corteva Agriscience also contributed to the Crop Trust’smissionlastyear.

Imustalsoapplaudthemanyindividualswhohavetakenituponthemselvestohelpusraiseawarenessonthisissue.Amongthem,HisRoyalHighness,ThePrinceofWales,globalpatronoftheCropTrust, who kindly hosted a “Forgotten Foods” reception at hisLondonresidenceinFebruary.

Forme, it has truly been a great privilege to be a part of theCropTrust.Regrettably,earlier thisyear Isteppeddownas theorganization’s Executive Board Chair. Imade this decisionwithsome reluctance,butneeded to followmydoctors’ advice.Butrestassured,IwillcontinuesupportingSirPeterCrane,thenewly-electedBoardChair;theCropTrust’stirelessExecutiveDirector,Marie Haga; and the many dedicated, determined staff andpartnerswhohelpkeepthatirreplaceablecropdiversityaliveandavailableforallofhumanity.

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

TIM FISCHER

WELCOME

01 WELCOME12 13

01

CROP TRUST 2018 ANNUAL REPORT CROP TRUST 2018 ANNUAL REPORT

Lookingbackat2018,itisclearthefuturehasarrived.InArgentinaandUruguay,adroughtdamagedmaizeandsoybean,drivinguppricesaroundtheworld. Insub-SaharanAfrica, Indiaand Japan,record-breaking rains, floods and cyclonesdestroyed fields anddisplacedthousandsofpeople.EuropewashitbyextremecoldweatherinFebruaryandheatwavesinJuly.Californiasuffereditsworst-everwildfire.InthePhilippines,TyphoonMangkhutcauseddevastation.Thelist,sadly,goeson.

Wearelivingthroughtroublingtimes.Andwithoutadoubt,whatwecollectivelydotodayinresponsewillimpactourlivesandthoseoffuturegenerations.Butit’snotallgloomanddoom.

2018 also gave us proof that there is hope for a better future.Around theworld, people are not only demanding change, butactivelystrivingforit.AttheCropTrustwearedoingourparttomake sure the foundation of our food security – crop diversity– is safeguarded and made available forever. Without it, wesimplywon’tbeabletoadapttheworld’sfoodproductiontothechallengesofthefuture,includingthosecausedbyclimatechange.Our 2018 Annual Report highlights a small selection of theactivitiescarriedoutbyourstaffandpartnersaroundtheglobe.

Here, I would like to mention two exceptional milestones wereachedthisyear:• ThesigningofaLong-termPartnershipAgreementbetween

theCropTrustandtheInternationalRiceResearchInstitute(IRRI).Thisprovidesfinancialsupport–paidfromtheCropTrust endowment fund - for the essential operations ofIRRI’s genebank, which safeguards the world’s largest ricecollection,forever.

• The Svalbard Global Seed Vault celebrated its tenthanniversary. Who would have thought that the idea ofbacking-upourcropcollectionsinsideacoldmountainintheArcticwouldnotonlybecomeareality,butanindispensablepart of the global system for ex situ plant conservation?In February 2018, representatives from 23 depositinginstitutionscarriedboxesfullofseedsintothatnowiconicbuilding.Withtheircontribution,thetotalnumberofuniqueseedvarietiesstoredintheVaultreachednearly1million.

Behindeveryhistoricmomentthereisalonglistofpeoplewho,moreoftenthannot,gounacknowledged.TheSeedVault’sanniversarygaveus theperfectopportunity to launchtheCropTrustLegacyAward.Wesalutedsevenleadersinthefieldofcropconservationwho have selflessly dedicated their careers to protecting ouragriculturalhistoryasawayofsafeguardingourfuture.

Our work would be impossible without the support of ourpartners,donorsandcollaborators.TheseincludeourCropWildRelativesProjectcolleagueswho,onanygivenday,fromKenyatoKazakhstan,BraziltoBangladesh,arecollectingthewildcousinsofourfoodcrops,orcrossingthemwithdomesticatedvarieties.It’spartofaglobaleffort toconserveanduseof thewealthoftraitstheseplantscontain,toenablefoodproductiontorespondtoahotteranddrierworld.

Vitally important too, are our partners at the 11 internationalgenebanks who, under the CGIAR Genebank Platform, areconservingsomeoftheworld’smostimportantcropcollections.

Putting crop diversity to good use is determined by the datathataccompanieseachpacketofseedsorplantletinatesttube,especiallywhen collections run into the thousandsof samples.In 2018, we saw the culmination of an information systemspilot project which supported six genebanks to prepare andpublish importantdatasets inGenesys, theglobalonlineportalto information about plant genetic resources for food andagriculture)conservedingenebanks.

Ultimately, these activities will feed into the development ofmore resilient crops thatwill thrive in increasingly inhospitableenvironments.

The importance of crop diversity is acknowledged in the UN’sSustainable Development Goals. Under Target 2.5, the globalcommunityhascommittedtosafeguardingthisglobalcommongoodby2020.Thishasgivenustheinspirationtorampupourefforts–beyond thesupportweprovide togenebanks,wearealsoactivelyraisingawareness,andinvolvingmorediverseactorsinthisglobalendeavour.

• InLondon,ourGlobalPatron,HisRoyalHighnessThePrinceofWales,kindlyhostedareceptionof “forgotten foods” tohelpraiseawarenessoftheimportanceofcropdiversityandtheneedtosafeguardit.

• In New York City, the Food Forever Initiative took us toGoogle’soffices,whereagroupofnotablechefsdelightedguestswithdishesthatshowcaseduncommoningredients,such as the colorful Andean tuber ulluco; and Bambaragroundnut,asuperstaramongneglectedcrops.

• Wealso launchedthesecondphaseofour#CropsInColorcampaign,whichexplorestherolecropdiversityplaysinthelivesofpeoplearoundtheworld.

Overthecourseof2018,thecommunityofcropconservationistsgrew stronger; the work they do being appreciated andunderstoodbymoreandmorepeople.There isnodoubt thatgreatprogresshasbeenmade,yetthereisstillmoretobedone.Wearelosingcropdiversityeverysingleday–infieldsandforests,andeveningenebanks.TheCropTrustiscommittedtodoingitsparttosupportnational,regionalandinternationalgenebanksintheireffortstosafeguardthewealthofdiversity thatunderpinsourfoodsystems.Everyfarmerineverycountry,andeverymealthatisservedinourdinnertables,ultimatelydependsonthis.

LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

MARIE HAGA

WHAT WE DO


WHAT WE DO

CROP TRUST 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 02 WHAT WE DO16 17

T he CGIAR Genebank Platform is a program led bythe Crop Trust and managed together with CGIARgenebanks. It aims to ensure those genebanks arerunning efficiently, that their crop collections areconserved to a high standard, and that as many

samplesaspossibleare immediatelyavailableuponrequestbyscientists,farmersandothers.

TheCGIARGenebankPlatformsupportstheessentialoperationsof CGIAR genebanks and improves their performance throughstrengtheningqualitymanagementsystems,optimizingfacilities,processes and methods and improving data managementsystems. It also supports modules on promoting the use ofcollections,germplasmhealthandcompliancewithinternationalpolicy.

ACCORDING TO FIGURES FOR 2018:• CGIAR genebanks manage 773,112 accessions, including

25,576 in vitro and 32,212 in the field. These include theworld’smost important staples like rice,wheat,maizeandpotato,andmanyothers.

• 81%ofaccessionsareimmediatelyavailableforinternationaldistribution.

• Duplicatesof57%ofseedaccessionsaresafelyconservedattwolocations;72%ofaccessionsinclonalcropcollectionsare duplicated in the form of in vitro or cryopreservedsamples.

• 96,556 germplasm samples were distributed to users in2018, including 56,393 sent to requesters from outsidethe CGIAR in 87 countries. Requesters included nationalagricultural research systems (31%), universities andadvanced research institutes (58%), and farmers and theprivatesector(11%).

MEASURING DIVERSITY

TheCGIARGenebankPlatformispursuingtheambitiousgoalofquantifyinghowmuchcropdiversityisheldingenebankcollectionsandhowmuch ismissing. In2016, the InternationalCenter forAgriculturalResearchintheDryAreas(ICARDA),theInternationalCenterforTropicalAgriculture(CIAT)andtheCropTrustworkedtogethertodevelopandapplymethodsforanalysingthediversityheld in ex situ collections for 22 crops.One technique involvesdeveloping“genepooldiversitytrees”.Theseshowalltheknowncultivargroupsandtheirrelationtooneanotherinafamilytree.Onceaccessionsincropcollectionsaremappedontothetree,wecanstarttoseewhichbranchesarewellcoveredandwhicharemissing.Diversitytreesforbanana,bean, lentil,andpearlmilletarewellunderway.

NEW GENEBANK AT AFRICARICETheCôted’Ivoirecivilwarin2004forcedAfricaRicetomoveoutofthecountry.Thatmeanttransportingthecenter’sricesamplestoBeninformedium-termstorageandNigeriaforlong-termstorage.By2015,Côted’IvoirewasabletowelcomebackAfricaRice.TheCGIAR Research Program on Managing and Sustaining andCrop Collections (2012-2017), helped fund construction of anew genebank for the center in Côte d’Ivoire and in February2018 AfricaRice began transporting its samples back home.In December, the final samples arrived from the InternationalInstituteofTropicalAgriculture(IITA)inNigeria.Afteralongperiodofseparationallaccessionsarenowsafeandsoundinoneplace.

INTO THE DEEP FREEZESome crops cannot be safely conserved as dried seedsin genebank cold rooms and must be conserved usingcryopreservationtechniques.Thisinvolvesstoringplantsamplesat ultra-low temperatures. But cryopreserving material can bepainstakingly slow and requires highly skilled technicians. ACGIARGenebankPlatform-supportedprojectattheInternationalPotatoCenter (CIP) is reaching rates of cryopreservation rarelyseenbefore.CIPhastrainedateamoftechnicianswhocannowpreparemorethan500potatoaccessionsinayear.Theteamisalsostudyingthelong-termviabilityofcryopreservedaccessions.Theprojectistestingthemobilityofsomeofthesesamples,whichiskeytoensuringduplicatescanbestoredelsewhere.Inatrial,CIPsent25 cryopreservedpotatoaccessions ina tankcalleda“cryoshipper”toBelgium,andbacktoPeru.Thenextstepistotestthesamplestoseehowtheyfared.

CGIARGENEBANK PLATFORM

After six years of CGIAR and the Crop Trust working together to support some of the most important genebanks in the world, the CGIAR Genebank Platform has built up steam and is forging ahead like a well-oiled express train.

Charlotte Lusty, Head of Programs and CGIAR Genebank Platform Coordinator, Crop Trust

WHAT WE DO


IMPACT FELLOWS BOOTCAMPIn July, seven early career professionalsmet at the Crop TrustofficesforthefirstGenebankImpactFellowsBootcamp.HailingfromKenya, thePhilippines,Colombia,USA, Italy andMorocco,thefellowsweretaskedwithfindingwaystodocumenttheimpactof the genebanks of CGIAR and the Centre for Pacific Cropsand Trees of the Pacific Community. The fellows embarked ona six-month program that gave them hands-on experience inevaluatingimpact,whileworkingwithsomeoftheworld’sexpertson genebanks. Some of their work includes determining thecontributionofgenebanks inthedevelopmentofnewvarieties,assessing the impacts of taro leaf blight-resistant germplasmand studying the impacts of maize “rematriation” to farmingcommunities.

WHAT WE DO


C rop wild relatives are cousins of our domesticatedfoodandforagecropsthatstillgrowinthewild.Manyhaveevolvedtosurvivetoughconditions,likedrought,flooding,high temperaturesorpoorsoils.Butmoreoftenthannot,theyareuntappedsourcesofgenetic

diversity. Some of this diversity is useful to plant breederssearchingforwaystomakefoodcropsmoreresilient.

The Crop Wild Relatives Project is a global, ten-year effort tocollect,conserve,andusecropwildrelatives.Theultimateaimistocontributetothedevelopmentofcropsthatdon’tjustsurvive,butthriveunderclimatechange.Theinitiativeisinitseighthyearand issupportedby theGovernmentofNorway. It ismanagedby theCropTrustwith theMillenniumSeedBank (MSB)of theRoyalBotanicGardens,Kewandinvolvesmanypartnersaroundtheworld.

COLLECTING“Didwegetthemall?”Asteamswrapuptheirmissionstocollectandconserveendangeredcropwildrelatives,thatisthequestionon their lips.We should know theanswer soon.By theendof2018,ourpartnersin24countrieshadcompletedtheircollectingactivities.Theycollectedmorethan4,400samplesfromlocationsasdifferentasalongthesideofabusyhighwaytoaremotepocketofatropicalrainforest.Collectingisnoeasytaskandconservingthe samples is just as challenging. TheMSB has now receivedabout70%of the collected samples for safetyduplication. Thematerial at MSB is processed for long-term storage and sentto national and international genebanks for conservation anddistributiontootherusers.

The collecting activities were preceded by a “gap analysis” –an assessment of important crop wild relatives missing fromgenebanks.Thishelpedprojectstaffprioritizeplantsforcollection.In2018,westartedtore-runthegapanalysistoestablishtowhatextentthecollectingmissionshavehelpedtofillthegaps.

After eight years of scouring the far reaches of the planet, our partners have ensured that the crop wild relatives they have collected are conserved and will be available to everyone.

Hannes Dempewolf, Senior Scientist - Head of Global Initiatives, Crop Trust.

COLLECTING CROP WILD RELATIVES

WHAT WE DO


U singwildplantsincropbreedingis much more difficult thanusing domesticated crops. So,the Crop Wild Relatives projectincludes a strong program to

ensurethatasmanyoftheirbeneficialtraitsaspossiblewillbeavailabletobreeders.Pre-breeding aims to identity those traits andintroduce them into breeding lines that areeasiertocrosswithfarmedvarieties.

The Project is focusing on 19 crops, withthe aim of creating new pre-bred materialsderivedfromcropwildrelatives.

Togetherwithourpartners,weareexpandingthe pre-breedingwork to include evaluationofgermplasmderivedfromcropwildrelativeswithbreedersandfarmers.Insomeinstances,the project integrates promising materialsintocropbreedingprograms.

Our project partners are already makingsomeoftheirpre-breedingmaterialsavailableforbreedersandresearchers.Ultimately,themostpromisingmaterialwillbedepositedingenebanksso theyareaccessible toanyonewhowouldliketousethemunderthetermsof the International Treaty on Plant GeneticResourcesforFoodandAgriculture.

USING CROP WILD RELATIVES

Our partners make it all happen. For our pre-breeding projects we are now working with nearly 100 national and international partner institutions in 48 countries.

Benjamin Kilian, Plant Genetic Resources Scientist, Crop Trust

WHAT WE DO


HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES FROM OUR PARTNERS: Common Bean: PartnersattheInternationalCenterforTropicalAgriculture (CIAT) have identified two wild Phaseolus acutifolius accessionsthatcantoleratehighnight-timetemperatures–atraitofsignificantinterestinachangingclimate.Thesehavebeenusedin breeding programs for improving heat tolerance in farmedcommonbean.Researchershavealsofoundthatsomebeanwildrelativescantoleratewaterloggingandrootrotpathogens.

Pearl Millet: Blast is an emerging disease that is devastatingpearl millet production in India and Africa. Researchers at theInternationalCropsResearch Institute for theSemi-AridTropics(ICRISAT) discovered that some populations of a pearl milletsubspeciesfoundinNigerandChadhaveresistancetomultipleformsofblast.Theycrossedthemwithdomesticatedpearlmilletanddevelopedfourpre-breedingpopulationsforfurthertesting.

MANAGING AND PRESENTING THE DATAPre-breedersgeneratea lotofdata.Theycanmake thousandsof crosses between wild and domesticated food crops andevaluatetheresultsundervariousconditions,indifferentclimatesand countries. Collecting andmanaging the data is hard workandanalyzing it isanevenbiggerchallenge– it isbutonethatmustbeaddressedifpre-breedingisgoingtocontributetothedevelopmentofsturdier“climate-proof”crops.

TheProjecthasteamedupwiththeJamesHuttonInstituteintheUK to ensure the project’s pre-breeding data ismade publiclyavailableinaformatthatallowsbreedersandscientiststoviewandanalyzeitaseasilyaspossible.HuttonisdevelopingsoftwarecalledGerminate3,whichcanhandlecomplexdatafromtheuseofplantgeneticresourcescollections.Germinate3databasesarecurrentlybeingdevelopedfor14crops.

WHAT WE DO


T he Svalbard Global Seed Vault marked its tenthanniversary on 26 February 2018 by receivingshipmentsofover70,000cropvarieties.ThesedepositstookthetotalnumberofuniquecropvarietiesreceivedbytheSeedVaultinthelastdecadetoover1million.

Depositorsfromgenebanksaroundtheworlddeliveredduplicateseedsofvitalglobalstapleslikerice,wheatandmaizetotheSeedVault.Othermoreregionallyimportantcropswerealsodeposited,including sorghum, pearl millet, black-eyed pea (cowpea), andpigeonpea.

Several lesser-knowncropsalsomade the journey to theSeedVault. These included Bambara groundnut, which is beingdevelopedasadroughttolerantcropinpartsofAfrica,andtheunusually named Estonian onion potato, which was depositedtogetherwithvarietiesofbeansuniquetothecountry.

The event alsomarked the largest number of institutions (23)depositingseedsatonetime.

CELEBRATING A DECADE OF THE SVALBARD GLOBAL SEED VAULT

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is an iconic reminder of the remarkable conservation effort that is taking place every day, around the world and around the clock - an effort to conserve the seeds of our food crops.

Marie Haga, Executive Director of the Crop Trust, in the lead-up to the anniversary event.

WHAT WE DO


TheSeedVaultfirstopeneditsdoorsinFebruary2008,asabackupfacilityfortheworld’sseedbanks.Itreceiveddepositsofover300,000differentkindsofseedsin itsfirstyearanddeliverieshavecontinuedseveraltimesayeareversincefromcountriesfarandwide,includingAustralia,Burundi,Colombia,Germany, India, Japan, North Korea, Russia, the USA andmanyothers.

LEGACY AWARDSAspartofthetenthanniversarycelebrations,theCropTrustannounced the inaugural recipients of its Legacy Awards.These recognize people who have dedicated their careerstocropconservation.Severalawardrecipientswereretiringmanagers at the genebanks of CGIAR,which conserve andsharehundredsof thousandsof seedsof food and foragecrops.DuplicatesofseedsfromCGIARgenebanksmakeupthemajorityofvarietiescurrentlybackedupintheSeedVault.

A Legacy Awardwas also given to Cary Fowler, one of thevisionaries behind the Svalbard Global Seed Vault who

worked tirelessly for its creation. He is currently a specialadvisortotheCropTrustafterservingastheorganization’sExecutive Director from 2007-2012, a period that saw theVaultbeingdesignedandconstructed,aswellasreceivingitsfirstshipmentsofseedsin2008.

AllrecipientsreceivedapersonalizedawardfeaturingspeciallycommissionedartworkbySophieMunns.

PREPARING FOR THE FUTUREIn 2018, the upgrade of the Svalbard Global Seed Vaultcontinued. This has seen the installation of a new coolingsystemandanewwatertightaccess tunnel.Fundedby theNorwegiangovernment,workalsoincludesconstructionofanewservicebuilding.Thework isdue toconclude in2019.Throughout, the seeds continue to be secure, with newdepositsarrivingasusual.

THE CROP TRUST LEGACY AWARDS 2018(left to right)

Jean Hanson International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Ethiopia

Dave Ellis International Potato Center (CIP), Peru

Ahmed Amri International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Morocco

Cary Fowler Crop Trust special advisor

Daniel Debouck International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Colombia

Hari D Upadhyaya International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), India

Ruaraidh Sackville Hamilton International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the Philippines

The tenth anniversary of the Seed Vault comes at a time when agriculture is facing multiple challenges from extreme weather and the demands of a world population expected to reach 10 billion people by 2050. This means it is more important than ever to ensure that seeds – the foundation of our food supply and the future of our agriculture – are safely conserved.

Marie Haga, Executive Director of the Crop Trust, in the lead-up to the anniversary event

WHAT WE DO


October2018markedan importantmilestone in thehistoryoftheCropTrust.Theorganizationtookthedecisiontofullyfundagenebankwiththelongestpossibletimehorizon–forever.

ThepartnershipagreementwiththeInternationalRiceResearchInstitute(IRRI),anot-for-profitinternationalagriculturalresearchorganization with its headquarters in the Philippines, was thefirst of its kind. It guarantees permanent, full funding for theessential operations of IRRI’s genebank which, with around136,000 differentkindsofrice,isthelargestandmostimportantricecollectionintheworld.

Many samples from the genebank have already been used tohelpriceproducersrespondtothechallengesofclimatechange;othersholdpromiseforimprovingriceproductioninthecomingdecades. With around 3.5 billion people around the worldconsuming riceeachday–anumber that isexpected to rise -safeguarding IRRI’s rice collection is an important step towardsensuringamoresustainableandresilientfoodsystem.

SAFEGUARDING RICE: NOTHING LESS THAN FOREVER

WHAT WE DO


Theagreementwasmadepossibleonly through thecombinedefforts of Crop Trust and IRRI. Our coordination of the CGIARGenebank Platform supports the operation and upgrading ofthe11CGIARgenebanks,ensuringthattheymeet internationalstandards, as published by the United Nations Food andAgricultureOrganization,andspecificperformancetargets.

Over several years, the IRRI genebank has maintained theseperformance targets, which include being able to make morethan 90 percent of its rice samples immediately available torequesters,andensuringtheyaresafelybackedupandproperlydocumented.

Aswellasgreatnews for IRRI, theagreementwasalsoaproofof concept for the Crop Trust endowment fund, which wasestablished in 2004 as a mechanism to provide stable, long-term funding for crop conservation. Ensuring the other CGIARgenebanksaresimilarlysupportedwillrequireUSD500millionintheendowmentfund.

This is also an important contribution by the Crop Trust andits partners to Target 2.5 of the United Nations SustainableDevelopment Goal on Zero Hunger, which seeks to safeguard“seeds,cultivatedplants,farmedanddomesticatedanimalsandtheirwildspecies”by2020.

WHAT WE DO


C ollections of crop diversity are there to be used,but how can a user choose what they need fromthousands of samples? The answer is data. Forcollections to be used efficiently, the data aboutthem needs to be complete, of high quality and

easily accessible – like the seeds and other breedingmaterialthemselves. The Crop Trust is building information systems tohelpgenebanksmanagetheirdataanduserstosearchthecropcollectionstheyhold.

GENESYSCropbreederscanbeoverwhelmedwith thesheernumberofsamples stored in a single genebank. And they certainly don’thavetimetominethedatabasesofdozensofdifferentindividualgenebanks worldwide in search of samples that meet theirrequirements.Genesysisafree-to-use,publiclyaccessible,onlinedatabaseofplantmaterialheldingenebanksaroundtheworld.Launchedin2008,itcontainsinformationonaboutfourmillionsamples,roughlyhalfoftheestimatedtotalnumberglobally.

Genesysreceivedabigboostin2018thankstotheadditionofalmost200,000recordsfromEMBRAPA,Brazil;50,000fromtheGeneticResourcesResearch InstituteofKenya;3,000 fromthe

NationalGenebankofTunisia;and2,500fromtheNationalPlantGeneticResourcesLaboratoryofthePhilippines.

This is a tremendousboon to researchers,breedersandevenfarmers who want to explore some of the largest and mostdiversecollectionsofcropdiversityintheworld.

Data needs to be accurate and up to date, though. Genesysprovides online services for genebanks to check their data forspellingerrorsor invalidgeographicreferences. In2018,about50%oftherecordsonGenesyswereupdatedbydataproviders.

WorkonGenesysneverstops.In2018,webeganbuildinganewwebsitewithnumerousenhancementstomakeiteveneasierforusers,andbackendimprovementstohelpdataproviders.Itwillbelaunchedinmid-2019.

GENESYS CATALOGGenebanks and researchers generate large volumes of datawhentheymultiplyseed,regeneratesamplesandscreenplantsfordifferentcharacteristics.Thisdatacanbevitallyimportanttootherresearchers.But,often,itisn’treadilyavailabletobreeders.In2018,wecompletedtheGenesysCatalog,atwo-yearproject

funded byGermany’s Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food(BLE). The Catalogmakes this additional data about genebanksamplesaccessibletoeveryoneviaGenesys.

TokickofftheGenesysCatalog,theCropTrustteamworkedcloselywithstafffromsixgenebankstoprepare,annotateandpublishpilot characterization and evaluation datasets. The genebankspublished79datasetswhentheprojectclosed inAugust2018.Wehavealsosupportedothergenebanksinpublishingtheirdataandnowhavemorethan2,100traitdatasetsofdifferentkindsandondifferentcropsavailableonGenesys.

GRIN-GLOBALThe days of managing data for large genebank collections onpaperorspreadsheetsarelonggone.GRIN-Globalisanadvanced

genebankdatamanagement software package andone of thebestoptionsforgenebankstoefficientlydocumentandmanagetheircollections.

Nearly30genebankshaveadoptedGRIN-Globalorareevaluatingit.But itcanbechallenging to learnnewsoftware,so theCropTrust helps users get a head start by conducting workshops. In June, the CGIAR Genebank Platform funded a week-longworkshop in Portugal to provide training on GRIN-Global to40 participantsfrom20countries.

INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Each sample conserved in a genebank has a story to tell, a story which has been documented by the guardians and users of this crop diversity. Our task is to preserve those stories and share them with the world.

Matija Obreza, Information Systems Manager, Crop Trust

Total number of accessions in Genesys from 460 institutes:

4,011,087

Number of datasets:

2,187

The Genesys Catalog enables genebanks to publish additional information about their samples, like the size and shape of leaves, the color of seeds and flowers, even data on yield or drought tolerance. This helps users find the most appropriate samples for their needs..

Nora Castañeda-Álvarez, Genesys Catalog Coordinator, Crop Trust

SECURING OUR FOOD FOREVER



03 CROP TRUST38 39

03


T he Crop Trust has been leading the developmentof global crop conservation strategies since 2004.Theseassesshowdifferentcropsarecopingwiththechallenges they face,whether enough is beingdonetoconservetheirdiversityandwhetheruserslikecrop

breedershaveeasyaccess to it.Theyalsoprovideactionplansfor improvingconservationefforts. Todate, theCropTrusthascoordinatedthedevelopmentof21globalandeightregionalcropconservationstrategies.

A STRATEGY FOR TEAIn2018,theCropTrustdevelopedaglobalconservationstrategyfor tea,whichwas launched in early 2019. Theworld’s favorite

beverage, tea is grown in 62 countries with an estimated twobillion consumers globally. But many factors, including climatechange, can lead to the irretrievable loss of tea diversity fromfarmers’fieldsand in thewild.Thatmeanscropbreedershavefeweroptionstodevelopmoreresilientplantsinmoresustainableproduction systems and to meet demand for new teas withspecificflavors,aromasorhealthproperties.

Onewaytohedgeourbetsistoprotectteadiversitybyconservingall types in genebanks and encouraging those genebanks toshare their samples freely. But tea lacks the conservation anddistribution infrastructure that other major crops enjoy. Forexample, there is no comprehensive system to document teacollectionsnorafailsafewaytobackthemup.

The tea strategy, developed by the Crop Trust and the TeaResearch Institute at the Chinese Academy of AgriculturalSciences, outlines the need for a robust, well-financed, globalsystemforconservingthemanykindsoffarmedandwildteatoensureallteadiversityisconservedinperpetuity.Thiscouldhelpensurethatteadrinkerscancontinuetoenjoytheirfavoritedrink,andthattheteaindustrycanmeetthegrowingdemandforteathatisproducedsustainablyandequitably.

During2019,theCropTrustwillcompleteworkonaconservationstrategyforvariousfruitsinthecitrusfamily.

ILRI AND CIAT GENEBANK STAFF MEET TO DISCUSS FORAGESTheCropTrust-supportedGlobalStrategy for theConservationand Utilization of Tropical and Sub-Tropical Forage GeneticResources recommended that the International Center forTropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the International LivestockResearch Institute (ILRI) join forces to harmonize the curationof their separate forage germplasm collections. For the firsttime, technical teams from the two centers came together fora workshop in October 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Theparticipantsmadeplanstoimproveboththeefficiencyandqualityofoperationsofthesetwogenebanksforenhancinggermplasmconservationandusingtropicalandsub-tropicalforages.

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T heUnitedNationsSDG2 is commonly knownas thegoal for “zero hunger.” But there’smuchmore to itthanfeedingtheworld: It identifiesarangeof issuesaffecting our food systems, with specific targets toaddress them. Target 2.5 calls for the international

communitytosafeguardandsharethegeneticdiversityofbothcropsandlivestockby2020.

TheFoodForeverInitiativeaimstoraiseawarenessoftheworkgoingonaround theworld in supportof this target. In2018 itcontinued to rally politicians, farmers, chefs, business peopleandotherstolendtheirvoicesandhelpdrivepositivechangesinthewayweconserve,grow,sellandconsumecropandlivestockdiversity.

MercedesAráoz,VicePresidentofPeru,becamethenewChairofFoodForever in June.Shehasabackgroundindevelopmenteconomics and public policy and has held several ministerialpositions in the Peruvian government, including that of PrimeMinister. She has been Vice President and Congresswoman ofPerusince2016,andisstrongadvocateforbiodiversity.

THE FOOD FOREVER EXPERIENCEThis is FoodForever’s flagshipevent series, created togive thepublicaglimpseofthefutureoffood.Byworkingwithinnovativechefstocookupdeliciousdishesusinglesser-knowningredients,theFoodForeverExperienceaimstoplanttheseedforimportantconversations about a more diverse, sustainable, and excitingfoodfuture.

The inaugural event – the Food Forever ExperienceNYC -washosted by Google in New York City, USA, in September. Itchallengedtenchefstoworkwithfascinatingfoodscurrentlyonthemarginsofthecountry’sculinarymainstream.Theseincluded

theAfricangrainteff,Bambaragroundnut,teparybean,breadfruit,jackfruitandevencrickets.

The event was organized in partnership with Google, TenderGreensco-founderandFoodForeverChampionErikOberholtzer,andtheRediscoveredFoodInitiative.ItwasalsoanofficialeventoftheUnitedNationsGlobalDayofActionontheSDGs.AnumberofFoodForeverExperienceswilltakeplacein2019,incitiesaroundtheworld.

Immediately prior to the NYC event, Food Forever hosted itsannualmeetinginWilmington,Delaware,USA.Itbroughttogethersomeofthe initiative’sChampionsandPartnerOrganizatonstolearnmoreaboutthecampaign,findwaystoworktogether,andtopledgeactioninsupportofSDG2.5.

CLOSER TIESFoodForeverstrengtheneditstieswithkeyinstitutionsconnectedtoSDGTarget2.5.ItnowhasacloserelationshipwithFAO,theofficialcustodianofSDG2,andastrategyforengagingwiththeUN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the central legalframeworkforallbiodiversity-relatedtargetsintheSDGsandtheAichiBiodiversityTargets.

InSeptember,FoodForeverheldthefirstsessionofitsBoardofOverseers,aconsultingbodywhosemainobjectiveistoapprovenew Champions and Partner Organizations, and the yearlyworkplan.FAOwaswelcomedasanofficialmemberoftheFoodForeversecretariat, joining theGovernmentof theNetherlandsandtheCropTrust.

Thefollowingmonth,FoodForeverparticipatedintheCommitteeonAgriculture(COAG)andtheCommitteeonFoodSecurity(CFS)atFAO.TogetherwithBioversityInternational,theSDG2AdvocacyHub,FAOandtheFutureFoodInstitute,itorganizedside-eventson the importance of agrobiodiversity in relation to food andnutrition security and facing climate change. The samemonth,Vice President Aráoz represented Food Forever at the BorlaugDialogueInternationalSymposiumoftheWorldFoodPrizeinDesMoines,Iowa,USA.Thisincludedgivingakeynotespeechto1,200people,aroundhalfofwhomwerestudents.

At the 14th Conference of the Parties to the UN Conventionon Biological Diversity (CBD-14) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, inNovember,FoodForeverpresentedtoover100communicationsprofessionals from the biodiversity and sustainability sectors.It was part of a Communications Forum for MainstreamingBiodiversity,organizedbytheWorldWildlifeFundandtheCBD.Attheevent,ataskforcewasformedtokickstartachef-engagementprogram, called2020 for 2020. This aims to reach2,020 chefswillingtoadvocateforgreaterfooddiversitybytheyear2020.

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THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

St. Petersburg, Russia (March)Inthespringof2018,theExecutiveBoardmetattheN.I.VavilovResearchInstituteofPlantIndustry(VIR)inSt.Petersburg,Russiafor its firstmeeting of the year. TheBoardwelcomed TimothyFischer,formerDeputyPrimeMinisterofAustralia,andSirPeterCrane,PresidentoftheOakSpringGardenFoundation,toserveintheirfirstBoardmeetingasChairandVice-Chair,respectively.

At VIR, Boardmembers had the chance to tour themuseum,long-term seed store, and tissue culture and cryopreservationlabs.TheyalsohadtheopportunitytomeetNikolayDzubenko,theoutgoingDirector,andhearhimspeakaboutitshistoryandthepresentstatusofitshistoriccollection.

InadditiontoapprovingrevisionstotheCropTrust’sInvestmentPolicy Statement and Institutional Risk Matrix for 2018, Boardmembersreiteratedtheimportanceofmovingtowardsamorediversified and sustainable funding base. They also expressedstrong support for the development and implementationof appropriate innovative finance mechanisms. Finally, theyencouraged the Crop Trust Secretariat to continue pursuingendowment fund contributions from both public and privatedonors.

Bonn, Germany (October)TheExecutiveBoard’s secondmeetingof theyearwasheldatthe Crop TrustHeadquarters in Bonn,Germany. The previousmonth, the Board had approved the historic Long-termPartnership Agreement with the International Rice Research

Institute (IRRI), and this agreementwas officially signed duringthe5thInternationalRiceCongressinSingapore,onWorldFoodDay.Itguaranteessustainable,long-termfinancialsupportfortheessentialoperationsofoneoftheworld’smost importantfoodandagriculturegenebanks.AspartoftheLong-termPartnershipAgreement, IRRI will provide expert advice and other supportto five national genebanks to help their conservation efforts.Providingpermanentfundingtotheworld’smostimportantcropcollectionsisatthecoreofourmission,andtheBoardrecognizedthisagreementasan importantmilestone in thehistoryof theCropTrust.

THE DONORS’ COUNCILThe 18th meeting of the Crop Trust Donors’ Council, held inJune,agreedtoestablishanad hocWorkingGrouponInnovativeFinance(IFWG).Thepurposeoftheworkinggroupistoanalyzeand review possible innovative financemechanisms that couldhelp the Crop Trust ensure sustainable, long-term funding forcropconservation,and reach its fundraising targetofUSD850million.TheIFWG,chairedbyStefanSchmitzofGermany’sFederalMinistry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), iscomprisedofrepresentativesoftheDonors’Council.

In2018,theCropTrustwelcomedtwonewmemberstotheDonors’Council:theRepublicofFinlandandtheEuropeanCommission,bothofwhommadesignificantfinancialcontributionstotheworkoftheCropTrustin2018,forwhichweareextremelygrateful.Welookforwardtobuildingonthesenewpartnerships inthetimeahead.

GOVERNANCE

FINANCIAL


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THE ENDOWMENT FUNDAt the heart of the Crop Trust’s work is its endowment fund.Investment income generated by the fund is used to supportgenebanksthatconservecropdiversity– thebiologicalbasisofagriculture.TheCropTrust’sendowmentfundtargetisUSD850million,whichwouldgenerateenoughincometoprovidestable,permanentfinancialsupporttotheworld’smostimportantcropgenebanks. In 2018, donors contributedUSD17million to thefund.

Thevalueoftheendowmentfund,includingtheKfWloanproceedsandlessamountstobewithdrawntofundthegenebankplatformcommitment,amountedtoUSD273millionasat31December2018(2017:USD285million).

SIZE OF THE ENDOWMENTTheannualreturnoftheendowmentfundin2018was-8.2%asa result of poormarket performance, specifically in the fourthquarterof theyear.Since thebeginningof2019,marketshaverecovered and the endowment fund returned +8.5% in theperiodfrom1Januaryto31March2019,takingitsvaluetoUSD292 million.

TheCrop Trust is fortunate to have strong liquidity and a verylong-termperspective.Theendowmentfundishighlydiversifiedand structured for the long-term so that short-term marketdislocations,whetherpositiveornegative,donottriggerstructuralchangestotheassetallocationoftheportfolio.

TheinvestmentobjectivesandpoliciesoftheCropTrustpermitthe annual withdrawal of up to 4% of the endowment fund’saverage market value over the previous 12 quarters. In 2018,2.5%(USD5million)waswithdrawn,ofwhich91%wasprovidedin long-term grants to the international genebanks of CGIAR.Combined with bilateral contributions from donors, the totalcontributiontoCGIARamountedtoUSD9million-upfromUSD2.4million in2016andUSD6.75million in2017. In2019, thisannualcontributiontoCGIARwillrisetoUSD11.5million.

The Crop Trust is an official signatory to the United NationsPrinciples forResponsible Investment (UNPRI),an internationalframework for incorporating sustainability into investmentdecision-making.TheCropTrustbelievesthattheapplicationoftheUNPRI improvesalignmentof its investmentportfoliowithitsoverallmissionandwiththebroaderobjectivesofsociety.Aspart of its commitment, the Crop Trust undertakes annual PRIreportingandachievedanoverall“A”ratingforitsUNPRI2017/18assessment.

The Crop Trust’s Executive Board-approved ResponsibleInvestment Policy also ensures the investment portfolio of theendowmentfundisalignedwiththeorganization’soverallmission.

PROGRAM AND OPERATIONAL EXPENDITUREIn addition to building up its endowment fund, the Crop Trustsupports the conservation of crop diversity in genebanks withannualfunding.

In 2018, the total expenditure of the Crop Trust was USD 36million,ofwhichUSD34millionrelatedtoprogramactivities.TheCropTrustcontinuestofollowacourseofcost-effectiveness,whichisvital inordertoachieveitsobjectivesandmaintainthetrustofdonorsandpartners.In2018,theCropTrustsecretariatincurredexpenditures formanagementandgeneralservicesofUSD1.6million,or4.6%oftotaldirectexpenditures.FundraisingexpenditureamountedtoUSD0.42millionor1.2%oftotaldirectexpenditure. Overall operational expenditures accounted for5.9%oftotaldirectexpendituresin2018,downfrom8%in2015.

FINANCIAL AUDITThe Financial Statements for the year ending 31st December2018 were prepared in accordance with InternationalFinancial Reporting Standards (IFRS). They were audited byPriceWaterhouseCoopers GmbHWirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft,whichissuedanunqualifiedauditopinion.

The fullFinancialStatementsand IndependentAuditor’sReportcanbedownloadedfromtheCropTrustwebsite.

Wethankallourdonorsandpartnersfortheircontinuedsupport,andforunderstandingtheneedfor,andurgencyof,safeguardingcropdiversity.

FINANCIAL SUMMARY

___________________________________________ Janet MuirDirector of Finance, Crop Trust

Endowment FundGOAL

2022 TARGET

$850M

$500M

$292MMarch 2019

THANK YOU


THANK YOU

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T he Crop Trust donors include developed anddeveloping country governments, civil society(foundations), the private sector, farmers‘organizations and individuals. We are deeplygratefultoalloursupporterswhohavehelped

maketheworkwedopossible.

THANK YOU

PHOTO CREDITS16, 18MikeMajor/CropTrust;20, 21 LuisSalazar/CropTrust;22-23MikeMajor/CropTrust;24LuisSalazar/CropTrust;25MikeMajor/CropTrust;26-27, 28-29NeilPalmer/CropTrust;30IsaganiSerrano/IRRI;31, 32BrentSturtonfor#CropsInColor;33ShawnLandersz/CropTrust;35NeilPalmer/CropTrust;38Adobestock;39 (bottom)BrigitteMaas;39 (right)MikeMajor/CropTrust;41NeilPalmer/CropTrust;47CropTrust;50-51MikeMajor/CropTrust

The Crop TrustPlatzDerVereintenNationen7

53113Bonn,Germany

General Contact +49(0)22885427122

[email protected]

www.croptrust.org

Documents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 36 44 48 - Crop Trust · Collecting crop wild relatives 20 Using crop wild relatives 22 ... the United States of America, Switzerland, Finland, India, and Australia,