New FAO E-learning Series: Four Free Courses on Plant Genetic Resources Data
FAO's e-learning Academy has released a four-course series on data management for plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA). The series is completely free and self-paced, and it covers everything from the basic concepts of documenting PGRFA to the tools you need to manage, publish, and use that data in practice. If you work with genebanks, manage germplasm data, or simply want to understand how PGRFA data flows through the global system, this series is an excellent place to start.
The series at a glance
The four courses build on each other and together form a comprehensive introduction to PGRFA data management:
- Course 1: Introduction to documenting plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (40 minutes). A grounding in the essential concepts behind PGRFA documentation. No prior experience needed.
- Course 2: The Global Information System (1 hour 10 minutes). Explores GLIS, the digital infrastructure established under Article 17 of the International Treaty on PGRFA, including the role of digital object identifiers (DOIs) for accession-level data.
- Course 3: GRIN-Global Community Edition (GGCE) and Genesys (1 hour 35 minutes). The course you came here for. It introduces GGCE as a genebank management system and Genesys as the global portal where participating institutions publish their accession data. This course is particularly relevant if you are considering joining Genesys as a data provider, or if you want to learn how to explore the platform effectively.
- Course 4: Global crop conservation strategies (1 hour 40 minutes). Looks at how diversity coverage assessments and gap analyses inform conservation priorities and how global crop strategies guide collective efforts to safeguard crop diversity.
What you will learn in the Genesys course
The course on GGCE and Genesys is divided into two lessons. The first covers GGCE, the open-source genebank management system that helps institutions capture, organize, and use PGRFA data to support consistent workflows. You will learn how accession and inventory records in GGCE support traceability of physical material, and how the system handles routine genebank activities such as viability testing, regeneration, multiplication, and distribution.
The second lesson shifts to Genesys. You will explore the main functions of the portal and the types of accession-level data available, learn how to query and interpret data using manual filters and Genesys AI, and understand the data quality principles and standards that make sharing through Genesys effective. The course is designed for a broad audience: genebank staff, data managers, researchers, breeders, and students alike.
Certification is available
Each course in the series offers a digital badge upon passing a final exam with a score of at least 75%. You can take the exam after completing the course, and you do not need to be affiliated with any institution to earn the badge. Once earned, your certificate is available from your FAO elearning Academy profile.
The bigger picture
This e-learning series sits within the broader ecosystem that Genesys helps to serve. By understanding how data is documented, quality-checked, and shared through systems like GGCE and platforms like Genesys, you become part of a much larger effort to make plant genetic resources visible and accessible to everyone who needs them.
If you manage a genebank or are considering sharing your data on Genesys, these courses will give you a solid foundation. And if you are a researcher, breeder, or student, they will help you understand exactly where the data on Genesys comes from and how to use it with confidence.