The Bellagio effect:
Global initiative for vegetable biodiversity takes root
A year ago, a small but influential group of crop diversity experts gathered at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center in northern Italy to discuss a shared concern: the loss of vegetable biodiversity – and how to stop it. Hosted by WorldVeg, the get-together came amid growing concern that global food systems were failing both people […]
Harvesting sunshine:
WorldVeg Tanzania goes green with major solar investment
Sunlight is set to power over half of the operations of the WorldVeg Eastern and Southern Africa regional office in Arusha, Tanzania, thanks to a major new investment in solar power. The new installation, which features 128 solar panels, provides energy for the WorldVeg research laboratories and office buildings, as well as the cooling systems […]
Conservation milestone:
WorldVeg secures over 90% of its global vegetable collections in the Arctic
WorldVeg has deposited its latest shipment of vegetable seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, bringing the share of its international genebank safeguarded in the Arctic to over 90% — a key conservation milestone. The consignment of seven seed boxes contained over 750,000 individual seeds representing 1,650 individual cultivated and wild accessions of chili peppers, […]
From fresh leaves to ready-to-cook packs:
How Ishara Julie built a leafy vegetable business in Bukavu, DRC
Ishara Julie (30) runs her business by one rule: leafy vegetables don’t wait. Since her products are highly perishable, she starts early each morning. As soon as the amaranth and pumpkin leaves, cabbage, and cassava leaves arrive from farmers, she washes, trims, cuts, and packs them into ready-to-cook bundles. This ensures they are fresh, […]
Scaling postharvest solutions:
Empowering trainers to reduce losses and strengthen vegetable value chains
In Lao PDR, vegetables like tomatoes, cabbage, chilies, and spring onions often lose value on the journey from farm to market due to poor handling, heat, delays and lack of refrigeration. To address this, WorldVeg led a two-day Training of Trainers session for agricultural extension professionals representing key project partner organizations from the Vientiane […]
Crop diversity as biological insurance:
Now is the time for genebank funders to step up, not step back
Food security is often discussed as a development issue – linked to hunger and poverty and addressed through long-term improvements in agriculture and livelihoods. But it is increasingly also a question of preparedness: building resilience against shocks that can disrupt food production and availability. Extreme weather, conflict, pandemics and trade disruptions have shown how […]