A global portal enabling worldwide access to information on conservation and use of biodiversity for food and agriculture
The genetic diversity of crop species is vital to ensuring more consistent, abundant and nutritious harvests, especially in developing countries. The agricultural community needs ready access to information that enables the most efficient and economical choice of appropriate diversity to address these challenges. Considerable amounts of diversity are stored in genebanks. However, information about this agricultural biodiversity is fragmented and scattered, and is particularly difficult to access in the resource-poor countries where it is most needed. It is often hard to find information about germplasm that can provide, for example, resistance to pests and diseases, or other stresses that reduce productivity and yields. The global germplasm information portal currently under development will specifically address information-retrieval obstacles faced by breeders, crop researchers and other users. The global information portal will use data standards and integrate data sets from existing information systems, or through a new scalable genebank information management system called GRINGlobal, for online publication within a global accession-level information platform. This global portal will be developed as a one-stop entry point to worldwide genebank information, enabling users to select and order samples online.