In addition to maintaining the genebank at Patancheru and smaller working collections at other locations, ICRISAT has also helped to stock national germplasm conservation centers. For example, several thousand accessions of our mandate crops were sent to national and regional genebanks, including the SADC Plant Genetic Resources Centre in Zambia, the Kenya National Genebank, and India's National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources.

In several countries (notably Ethiopia, Rwanda, Somalia, and Sudan), national programs had lost a large part of their germplasm stocks due to drought or civil unrest. ICRISAT helped rebuild national collections, identifying and multiplying materials adapted specifically to local conditions in each country.

The emphasis on genetic resources will further increase in the coming years. The share of the Institute's budget allocated to preserving biodiversity will increase from its current 11% to 18% over the next few years. The key future priority is to analyze and document on-farm diversity, and help to ensure that little-known landraces are not lost.