View source for Organization:Bioversity International

 {{Infobox organization
| name = Bioversity International
| logo = Logo of The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT.png
| logo_caption = 
| size = 210px
| merged = The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT <ref>[https://ciat.cgiar.org/alliance/] The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT</ref>
| formation = 1974
| type = Non-profit research-for-development
| status = International organisation
| purpose = Research for development
| headquarters = [[Place:Rome|Rome]]
| location = Italy
| region_served = 18 offices worldwide
| leader_title = Director General
| leader_name = Juan Lucas Restrepo <ref>[https://www.bioversityinternational.org/about-us/who-we-are/staff-bios/single-details-bios/restrepo-juan-lucas/] Juan Lucas Restrepo</ref>
| num_staff = Approx. 300
| website = {{URL|https://alliancebioversityciat.org/}}
}}

'''Bioversity International''' is a global research-for-development organization that delivers scientific evidence, management practices and policy options to use and safeguard [[Biology:Agricultural biodiversity|agricultural biodiversity]] to attain global [[Earth:Food security|food-]] and nutrition security, working with partners in low-income countries in different regions where agricultural biodiversity can contribute to improved nutrition, resilience, productivity and [[Earth:Climate change adaptation|climate change adaptation]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bioversity International |url=https://www.croptrust.org/pgrfa-hub/crops-countries-and-genebanks/genebanks/bioversity-international/ |access-date=2023-05-23 |website=www.croptrust.org |language=en}}</ref>

Bioversity International is a member of the [[Organization:CGIAR|CGIAR]], a global research partnership for a food-secure future.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cgiar.org/research/center/bioversity-international/|title=Bioversity International|website= [[Organization:CGIAR|CGIAR]] |language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-06|archive-date=2019-06-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621142823/https://www.cgiar.org/research/center/bioversity-international/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The organization is highly decentralized, with about 300 staff working around the world with regional offices located in Central and South America, West and Central Africa, East and Southern Africa, Central and South Asia, and South-east Asia.<ref>[http://www.bioversityinternational.org/about-us/where-we-work/ Where Bioversity International works]</ref> In the summer of 2021 headquarters was moved to the Aventine Hill near the FAO in Rome, Italy,<ref name = "Alliance Bioversity International - CIAT">
 {{ Cite web
    | access-date = 2023-05-12
    | title = A Global Overview
    | website = Alliance Bioversity International - CIAT
    | url = http://alliancebioversityciat.org/2021-annual-report/global-overview
}}
</ref>

In 2019, Bioversity International joined with the [[Organization:International Center for Tropical Agriculture|International Center for Tropical Agriculture]] (as the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT) to "deliver research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ciat.cgiar.org/alliance/|title=Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT|website=www.bioversityinternational.org|language=en|access-date=2020-02-06}}</ref>

== Background ==
Bioversity International is a research-for-development organization focused on safeguarding and using agricultural biodiversity to help meet challenges such as adaptation to [[Earth:Climate change|climate change]] and increased sustainable production.<ref>[http://www.bioversityinternational.org/e-library/publications/detail/bioversity-internationals-10-year-strategy-2014-2024 Bioversity International 10-year Strategy 2014-2024]</ref>

The organization takes the view that diversity offers opportunities not only through breeding ([[Biology:Plant breeding|of plants]] and of animals) but also by delivering many other benefits. Some are direct, such as the better nutrition and greater sustainability that come with locally adapted crops. Others are indirect, like the [[Biology:Ecosystem services|ecosystem services]] delivered by healthy populations of [[Biology:Pollinator|pollinator]]s, biological control agents, and soil microbes. Agricultural biodiversity will also be absolutely essential to cope with the predicted impacts of climate change, not simply as a source of traits but as the underpinnings of more resilient farm ecosystems.<ref>[http://www.bioversityinternational.org/e-library/publications/detail/agricultural-biodiversity-is-essential-for-a-sustainable-improvement-in-food-and-nutrition-security Frison, E.A.; Cherfas, J.; Hodgkin, T. Agricultural Biodiversity Is Essential for a Sustainable Improvement in Food and Nutrition Security. Sustainability 2011, 3, 238-253.]</ref>

== Governance ==
Bioversity International is governed by a Board of Trustees, including one Trustee nominated by the host country (Italy) and one nominated by FAO. The Board also appoints the Director General who manages the operation of the various programs. The current Director General is Juan Lucas Restrepo.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/new-director-general-bioversity-international-alliance-ceo-announced/|title=New Director General for Bioversity International and Alliance CEO announced|website=CGIAR|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-06}}</ref>

==History==
In 2014, Bioversity International marked 40 years of operations. Bioversity International was originally established by the [[Organization:CGIAR|CGIAR]] as the '''International Board for Plant Genetic Resources''' ('''IBPGR''') in 1974. In October 1993, IBPGR became the '''International Plant Genetic Resources Institute''' ('''IPGRI''') and in 1994 IPGRI began independent operation as one of the centers of the CGIAR. At the request of the CGIAR, in 1994 IPGRI took over the governance and administration of the '''International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain''' ('''INIBAP'''). In 2006, IPGRI and INIBAP became a single organization and subsequently changed their operating name to Bioversity International. Bioversity International still maintains the world's largest banana [[Biology:Genomic library|gene bank]], the Bioversity International ''Musa'' Germplasm Transit Centre, that is hosted at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven) in Leuven, Belgium, and manages [[Organization:ProMusa|ProMusa]] - a platform that shares knowledge about [[Biology:Banana|banana]]s and [[Biology:Cooking banana|plantains]].<ref>[http://www.bioversityinternational.org/about-us/who-we-are/history/ Bioversity International history]</ref> In 2002, the [[Organization:Crop Trust|Global Crop Diversity Trust]] was established by Bioversity International on behalf of the CGIAR and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, through a Crop Diversity Endowment Fund.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://time.com/doomsday-vault/|title=Inside the 'Doomsday' Vault|magazine={{wipe|Time (magazine)}}|access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref>

==Publications==
Bioversity International and its predecessors have published occasional papers under the title ''Issues in Genetic Resources''. In 2017, the organization published ''Mainstreaming Agrobiodiversity In Sustainable Food Systems - Scientific Foundations for an Agrobiodiversity Index'', a book that put the spotlight on the importance of agrobiodiversity as the foundation of our food supplies.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/26/sixth-mass-extinction-of-wildlife-also-threatens-global-food-supplies|title=Sixth mass extinction of wildlife also threatens global food supplies|website=The Guardian|date=26 September 2017 |last1=Carrington |first1=Damian }}</ref>

== Notable former member Board of Trustees ==

* Prof. Emeritus Chin Hoong Fong, IBGR (1987-1992), Honorary Fellow (1997-2018)<ref>{{Cite web |title=The legacy of a life devoted to seed conservation |url=https://alliancebioversityciat.org/stories/legacy-life-devoted-seed-conservation |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=Alliance Bioversity International - CIAT |language=en}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.croptrust.org/ Global Crop Diversity Trust]
* [http://www.ecpgr.cgiar.org/ European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources]

{{CGIAR Centers}}


[[Category:International research institutes]]
[[Category:International environmental organizations]]
[[Category:Biodiversity]]
[[Category:Plant genetics]]
[[Category:Organizations (Biology)]]
[[Category:Organizations|Biology]]

{{Sourceattribution|Bioversity International}}