Biodiversity International

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013, Cary Fowler, Charlotte Lusty and Maria Vinje Dodson, and Global Crop Diversity Trust, "The Youth Guide to Biodiversity" 1st Edition (Chapter 3) Youth and United Nations Global Alliance. Reproduced with permission.

Chapter 3. Verbatim.

Bioversity International uses agricultural biodiversity to improve people’s lives by researching solutions for three key challenges: sustainable agriculture, nutrition and conservation. Bioversity maintains the international Germplasm Collection of both improved varieties and wild species of bananas.

The Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry (VIR) undertakes research and development for numerous types of crops and varieties. It supports the

collection and maintenance of gene banks for numerous crop species, including barley. 

The World Vegetable Center (AVRDC) works in four main areas: germplasm, breeding, production and consumption. AVRDC maintains the world’s largest public vegetable genebank with more than 59 294 entries from 155 countries, including about 12 000 ofindigenous vegetables.

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) works on enhancing crop quality and productivity. It works on assessing the growing properties and nutritional content of new varieties of yam and works with other crops such as cowpeas, soybeans, bananas/plantains, cassavas and maize.

The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) contributes to the improvement of crops such as chickpea, bread and durum wheats, kabuli, pasture and forage legumes, barley, lentil and faba bean. Other work includes supporting improvement of on-farm wateruse efficiency, rangeland and small-ruminant production. 

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Its genebank serves as a world repository for the collection of germplasm of a number of crops including sorghum.

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) develops new rice varieties and rice crop management techniques that help rice farmers improve the yield and quality of their rice in an environmentally sustainable way. IRRI maintains the biggest collection of rice genetic diversity in the world, with more than 113 000 types of rice, including modern and traditional varieties, as well as wild relatives of rice.