Genebanks are essential for the preservation of, and providing access to, highly diverse plant genetic resources, crucial for environmental sustainability, climate adaptation, and food security now, and into the future. The main priorities for all genebanks are to ensure that their collections comprise of high-quality, highly viable germplasm stored under conditions that support maximum longevity and are managed effectively to achieve efficient resource use and sustained conservation. This special issue of Plant Genetic Resources: Characterization and Utilization comprises of 10 research and 2 critical review articles which focus on the evolving role, priorities and practical challenges of national genebanks in conserving and utilizing plant genetic resources. The central theme of this special issue is how national genebanks can strengthen the conservation, access and use of plant genetic resources in the face of increasing socio-economic and environmental pressures, thereby unlocking their full potential.

Nikolai Vavilov pioneered collections of crop diversity as early as the 1920’s however, since the establishment of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) in the 1960s and 70s, the global network of genebanks has increased on an immense scale. According to FAO (2025), there are more than ‘850 national genebanks in 116 countries, as well as four regional and 13 international genebanks’. Of these, the CGIAR network of international genebanks is considered the primary core of the global agricultural system, despite collectively only holding approximately 10% of the 7.4 million accessions conserved worldwide. With 84% of global plant genetic resources stored in national genebanks, they are the key custodians of the genetic diversity necessary to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 to ‘end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture’. But, with national genebanks reliant almost entirely on funding through their respective governments, most lack capacity, funding and infrastructure to meet long-term conservation standards; which results in large proportions of their collections inaccessible to users. Genebank reviews (including peer reviews), are an effective means of identifying gaps in diversity conservation, as well as identifying specific needs and areas for improvement. Since 2019, the Crop Trust has facilitated external reviews of national genebanks, gathering both quantitative and qualitative data on operational status and performance to help prioritize targeted capacity development for individual centres.

The recently accepted article ‘Reimagining the role of National Genebanks: purposes, priorities and programs’, provides a comprehensive review of the current state of national genebanks and their role in a global system which, as described by the author, is currently lacking ‘a realistic and compelling strategy for how most genebanks – particularly those in smaller developing countries – can contribute significantly and sustainably to agricultural development’. After highlighting some of the key political and operational constraints facing national genebanks, the author argues that a fundamental shift in focus is now critical. Moving beyond a model centred primarily on conservation, national genebanks must reorient towards facilitated utilization and crop diversification if they are to remain relevant and effective contributors to future global conservation efforts. However, given that germplasm in national genebanks often have poor passport and characterization data, along with an absence of plant breeding programmes – particularly for underutilized (or opportunity) crops, – this shift will require the creation of stronger synergies between Genebanks and their users (i.e. breeders/farmers/agronomists). In recent years, the Global Crop Diversity Trust has managed several projects – Seed for Resilience, BOLD and BOLDER – with a shared objective of strengthening farmers’ access to and use of ex-situ collections in national Genebanks. Germplasm User Groups are one of the outcomes designed to support and encourage Genebank-farmer interactions and to bridge the gap between conservation and practical use of locally adapted agricultural biodiversity. This model has been put into practice, reviewed and evaluated by many African countries. The positive impacts are evident, and other countries have been encouraged to adopt a similar system.

The purpose of this special issue is to bring together current research and critical perspectives that highlight both the importance of national genebanks and the urgent need for more strategic, coordinated and user-oriented approaches to their operation. Given that there is no realistic pathway to fund all genebanks to ‘high standards’, national genebanks deserve recognition for their efforts in prioritizing and making strategic use of constrained resources. In terms of the wider field of plant genetic resources, this issue contributes to the ongoing discussion about how the global conservation system must evolve to better support crop improvement, climate resilience and food-system diversification.