Strengthening genetic conservation capacity in island food systems

CGIAR–SPC collaboration upgraded CePaCT systems, skills, and influence—benefitting Pacific island food systems through training, standards alignment, and policy voice. 

In November–December 2025, SPC’s CePaCT strengthened its partnership with CGIAR by joining core Communities of Practice, upgrading standard operating procedures (SOPs) and data systems, and training six staff at CIP. These efforts improved conservation quality standards and expanded regional access to healthy, climate-resilient germplasm. As a result, the Pacific Islands’ profile and negotiating capacity were elevated at GB 11, ensuring a more coherent regional voice on crop diversity and benefit sharing.

Pacific Island countries host a rich diversity of root and tuber crops such as taro, sweet potato, and yams as well as fruit trees and leafy greens. Despite this diversity, local production and diets rely on a narrow range of crops that are highly vulnerable to climate stress. Crop diversity in farmers’ fields is increasingly at risk, not only due to climate change but also because of shifting diets and rising food imports. The Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees (CePaCT), the region’s main genebank, plays a critical role in preserving this diversity. While CePaCT has made significant progress and is now recognized by the Crop Diversity Trust, further work is needed to meet international quality management standards, modernize data and biosafety systems, and strengthen policy influence to ensure reliable access to healthy, diverse planting material. Prior to 2025, collaboration with CGIAR remained largely informal, and Pacific priorities were often underrepresented in global fora.

Within the emerging CGIAR–SPC Land Resources Division (LRD) collaboration, the work focused on three key objectives: (1) strengthening SPC–CGIAR coordination under the Island Food Systems AoW4 with CGIAR Genebanks; (2) expanding Pacific participation across global policy and technical platforms; and (3) building CePaCT’s institutional capacity. These efforts directly advance the CePaCT Investment Plan (2024–2029) and SPC’s Grow the Pacific strategy.

This momentum built on earlier collaborative planning, including the co-design of a 2030 CGIAR–SPC-LRD strategy (forthcoming in 2026) in Fiji in October 2025, which marked the starting point of a multi-year partnership. From 17 November to 9 December 2025 in Cusco and Lima, SPC and CGIAR aligned on a shared agenda covering quality management systems (QMS), cryopreservation readiness, germplasm health, and data modernization through GGCE (GRIN Global Community Edition). A key milestone was CePaCT’s integration into several CGIAR Communities of Practice, establishing sustained channels for expert mentoring and workflow alignment.

At the CGIAR Annual Genebanks Meeting in Cusco, SPC presented CePaCT’s strategic direction, including QMS documentation, barcoding, safety duplication, and cryopreservation. Technical planning also progressed with CGIAR specialists on CryoLab workflows and germplasm health upgrades aligned with FAO Genebank Standards.

During Crop Diversity Day (21 November) and the Article 15 genebanks coordination meeting (22 November), SPC and Pacific partners (PAPGREN, ICG SP) showcased indigenous and climate-resilient Pacific crops. These engagements reinforced CePaCT’s Article 15 standing and clarified documentation and reporting expectations, anchoring Pacific priorities within global harmonization efforts.

SPC also joined the Vegetables4Life (V4L) coordination team, a global ten-year initiative led by the World Vegetable Center and co-led by the Crop Diversity Trust to conserve and utilize vegetable biodiversity. Launched on Global Crop Diversity Day (21 November), the initiative also benefited from SPC’s contribution to a perspective paper on reversing vegetable biodiversity loss to diversify diets. At the institutional level, CePaCT made significant technical advances: it joined CGIAR Communities of Practice, updated SOPs, initiated a CryoLab roadmap, and strengthened traceability through GGCE. These improvements enhanced compliance with international standards and accelerated readiness for cryopreservation.

A critical component of capacity building was the intensive training of six CePaCT staff at CIP (5–9 December). The four-day training covered germplasm health indexing, cryopreservation methods, GGCE workflows (including barcode integration and accession documentation), and QMS/internal audit practices directly strengthening day-to-day laboratory safety and data integrity. At the policy level, Pacific contracting parties, Tuvalu, Tonga, and Papua New Guinea benefited from SPC’s technical advice and coordination at GB 11 (23–29 November). SPC supported negotiation positions on Digital Sequence Information, Annex I expansion, and SMTA reform, enabling the Pacific to articulate a unified, evidence-based voice. Through PAPGREN and ICG SP, countries are also gaining clearer pathways to access healthy germplasm, supported by emerging upstream–downstream linkages that connect global standards and research to in-country evaluation and seed systems. These efforts are being formalized in a Roadmap for Collaboration.

Overall, SPC and CePaCT have transitioned from peripheral participation to becoming recognized partners within CGIAR’s genebank system. This shift is evidenced by formal participation in multiple Communities of Practice, updated SOPs, a CryoLab operational plan, and tangible data system improvements. These institutional gains are already translating into better-governed conservation systems and higher-quality, more traceable germplasm flows for Pacific users.

This progress was underpinned by a series of strategically linked engagements. A four-day pre-mission coordination in Suva (13–16 October) established priorities and mechanisms for structured engagement in the CGIAR 2030 Portfolio process. The Annual Genebanks Meeting enabled technical alignment; Crop Diversity Day and the Article 15 meeting elevated Pacific priorities and standards compliance; GB 11 strengthened a unified policy voice; and the CIP training translated commitments into practical laboratory and data system upgrades. By embedding CePaCT within CGIAR’s expert networks and modernizing its core systems, the Pacific region is now better positioned to conserve and distribute climate-resilient and culturally important crops. This progress strengthens food and nutrition security for Small Island Developing States facing escalating climate risks. The achievements of 2025 lay a strong foundation for expanded research partnerships including with CIP, the World Vegetable Center, and WorldFish and for a formal SPC–CGIAR collaboration roadmap that connects global innovation to community-level impact.