Crop Trust Roundtable: Safeguarding Crop Diversity for Food Security and Climate Resilience

PRIVATE EVENT: Attendance is by invitation only. If you would like to request an invitation, please contact us at info@sciencesummitnyc.org.

Crop Trust in cooperation with the South African Embassy in Brussels and the Agricultural Research Council in South Africa is hosting a roundtable on Thursday, 25 June at 10:00 AM in Brussels.

Crop diversity is the foundation of resilient and productive food systems. The thousands of crop varieties conserved in genebanks around the world provide the genetic resources needed to develop crops that can withstand climate change, emerging pests and diseases, and evolving nutritional needs. Protecting and using this diversity is essential to ensuring global food security for future generations.

This roundtable will discuss the strategic importance of crop diversity in the context of the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) (2028-2034) and explore opportunities to strengthen international collaboration, global awareness and priority-setting.

Draft Agenda

10:00 | Welcome

10:10 | Scene Setting: Crop Diversity: A Foundation for Food Security and Resilience

Crop diversity underpins food security, climate resilience, and agricultural innovation. It provides the genetic resources needed to adapt crops to changing environmental conditions, strengthen supply chain resilience, and support strategic autonomy in food production. Through platforms such as Genesys, valuable data on plant genetic resources are made accessible to researchers and breeders worldwide, enabling innovation and biotechnology development. International and national genebanks, supported by the Crop Trust, play a vital role in conserving and making available this diversity for current and future generations Trust.

10:30 | Crop Diversity and the EU’s Strategic Priorities

Crop diversity is central to the EU’s strategic priorities, supporting the objectives of the European Green Deal, strengthening climate adaptation, and enhancing food security and resilience. It also contributes to the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy while providing the genetic resources needed to drive innovation, competitiveness, and greater strategic autonomy in the agri-food sector.

10:50 | EU–Africa Cooperation on Crop Diversity: A Partnership for Food Security, Resilience, and Innovation

The European Union and Africa share a common interest in safeguarding crop diversity as a foundation for food security, climate resilience, and sustainable agricultural development. This session will explore opportunities to strengthen EU–Africa cooperation through research and innovation partnerships, genebank collaboration, capacity building, and investment in plant genetic resources. It will also highlight the role of joint action in supporting resilient food systems and advancing shared agricultural and biodiversity goals.

11:10| Looking Ahead: Building a Coalition for Crop Diversity

Strengthening crop diversity in Europe will require a coordinated effort among policymakers, research institutions, genebanks, the private sector, and civil society. By aligning around shared priorities, fostering research and innovation partnerships, advancing joint advocacy, and developing sustainable financing mechanisms, Europe can build a strong coalition to safeguard crop diversity and enhance food security, resilience, competitiveness, and sustainability for future generations

11:30 | Discussion

12:10 | Conclusion