Plant breeding company KWS, of Germany, has pledged $10,000 in a crowdfunding initiative to help maintain the world’s largest corn and wheat germplasm bank, says the international research center that owns the bank. The “Save a Seed” drive was launched at the 50th anniversary celebration for the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), based in Mexico.
The annual operating cost of the bank, which contains 175,000 corn and wheat collections, is $2.3 million. CIMMYT started the campaign because longtime supporters are trimming their donations to the bank. Leon Broers, an executive board member of KWS, said conserving the seed bank “is crucial, especially for developing countries, in times of accelerating climate change and a growing world population.”
CIMMYT sent more than 700,000 seed shipments free of charge during 2015 to researchers in more than 80 countries to help with work to improve crops and fight disease. Corn and wheat are two of the world’s most important staple crops, making up nearly a quarter of the world’s daily energy intake, says CIMMYT.