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November 2021 Meeting Summary

On November 9, 2021, the Advisory Committee gathered to align on the strategic direction of Genesys and review the progress made throughout the year. It was a foundational meeting that helped clarify our role within the broader PGR data ecosystem.

Defining Our Vision and Mission​

We spent time revisiting what Genesys stands for. Our vision is clear: we want detailed accession-level information on the plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) in the world's genebanks to be easily and freely accessible to everyone.

To achieve this, our mission is two-fold:

  • Providing a user-friendly platform for the global community to access data.
  • Supporting genebanks in the vital work of documenting and preparing their data for online publication according to agreed standards.

2021 Progress Report​

The year 2021 was marked by significant growth. We were thrilled to sign Data Provider Agreements with genebanks in Ivory Coast (CNRA), Zambia (NPGRC), Ecuador (DENAREF), and New Zealand (AgResearch).

The data flow has been impressive, with over 1.2 million accessions updated. While the USDA provided a huge portion of new passport data, we're seeing a wonderful diversity of contributions from partners worldwide. We also added 102 subsets, with a strong contribution from CIMMYT's wheat collection.

Strategic Conversations: The "Anchor" for Data​

One of the most inspiring parts of the meeting was the discussion on the unique role Genesys plays. We talked about Genesys acting as an "anchor" for physical resources. As genomics and molecular characterization grow, there's a critical need for a bridge between breeding materials and conserved specimens. By providing a reliable link to the physical material via GLIS DOIs, Genesys can support the next generation of genomics projects.

Expanding Our Reach​

We had an honest conversation about the gaps in our current coverage. While we've made strides, we recognize that major genebanks in India and China are not yet on board, and Latin America remains under-represented.

We emphasized that our heart remains with the "underserved" genebanks, those that may lack the resources for advanced data management but hold invaluable genetic diversity. We've encouraged the Committee to help us identify these institutions so we can provide the support they need to share their data with the world.

Our Community​

A big thank you to the members who joined the discussion:

  • Chris Richards (USDA, USA)
  • Peter Wenzl (CIAT/CGIAR)
  • Semíramis Rabelo Ramalho Ramos (EMBRAPA, Brazil)
  • Stephan Weise (IPK, Germany)
  • Francisco Lopez (ITPGRFA, FAO)
  • Luigi Guarino (Crop Trust)
  • Christelle Rabil (Crop Trust)
  • Matija Obreza (Crop Trust)

Apologies:

  • Sunil Archak (NBPGR, India)

We're looking forward to continuing this journey and making the world's genebank data more accessible to all!