The world鈥檚 orphan crops are about to get new homes.
Yam, taro, coconut, cassava, sweet potato and more than a dozen other crops that the world鈥檚 poorest farmers rely on have been largely ignored by modern 鈥済reen revolution鈥� crop breeders. Now they will be targeted in a programme to secure the genetic diversity of the world鈥檚 crops.
Part of a $37 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, announced on Monday, will go to buy space for 21 orphan crops in the 鈥渄oomsday vault鈥�, a high-security repository of the world鈥檚 seeds. The vault is being constructed by the Global Crop Diversity Trust in permafrost on the Arctic island of Svalbard.
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Vulnerable seed banks
The rest of the grant will go to improve national seed banks in developing countries, many of which are under-funded, in bad repair and vulnerable to war and natural disasters.
It will also fund research to create new versions of neglected crops that produce higher yields, are resistant to diseases and can tolerate climate change.
An early candidate for assistance will be cassava, Africa鈥檚 most important food crop, which is currently suffering from a virulent strain of the resurgent brown streak virus.
鈥淭here can be no food security without first securing the genetic diversity of every crop, in particular those most important to the poor that unfortunately are neglected by modern plant breeding,鈥� said SyliaMathews Burwell of the Gates Foundation.
