The FAO’s Genebank Standards
If you work in a national genebank, your job is globally important. It relates directly to the UN’s sustainable development goals, including the elimination of hunger. The FAO understands that scientists working in national genebanks are in a unique position to make a difference to the conservation of genetic diversity. But the FAO also recognizes that for breeders to be able to use genetic resources, it is important for them to meet certain standards.
The FAO’s Genebank Standards are a benchmark for scientific and technical practice. They are non-binding and voluntary. They are not laws - if you’re interested in the laws associated with genebanking, CGIAR offer a separate course on this.
Now let’s get familiar with the Genebank Standards. Follow this link then have a look at the contents page. You will see the contents are broken down by conservation approach and then by process (such as acquisition, storage, viability monitoring). For each process, the Standards discuss differences in context, technical considerations, and contingencies you can adopt if your genebank does not have optimal facilities. This provides a large and comprehensive resource.
In Video 3 (below), Dr Janny van Beem from the Crop Trust discusses the principles behind the Genebank Standards. Janny works with national genebanks to develop evidence-based sets of practices that will enhance the quality of genetic resources within those national genebanks. These are known as ‘quality management systems’ (QMS). As you watch the video, think about what Janny says about the connections between the Genebank Standards and quality management, and how you too can ensure the quality of seeds in your own genebank.
Transcript: Video 3: The FAO genebank standards
Hello, I'm Janny van Beem. I'm the Genebank Partnership Coordinator for the Crop Trust. My role is to coordinate key activities under the Global Gene Bank Partnership. And I basically focus on quality, risk, and knowledge management.
The Genebank Standards and the Practical Guides that are associated to them provide consistency and reliability in the conservation of plant genetic resources.
They also provide a benchmark for quality, safety, efficiency, and performance, which ultimately facilitates acquisition and distribution and maximizes the longevity of the seed.
There are several limitations regarding the implementation of standards. The first one being the cost - because it can require significant time, resources and expertise to be able to adopt the standards.
And the second one is the generality of standards. Sometimes documents such as standards do not provide necessary information for a wide range of very unique species or pollination systems.
And it therefore becomes the responsibility of the genebank to develop their own standards for very specific crops and unique germplasm.
Genebank staff can approach the implementation of standards by first evaluating whether the standards can be applied equally to different crops, originating in different geographical regions or different biological statuses and pollination systems.
They could consider whether alternative, more detailed methodologies are needed to meet the intended outcome.
For example, having seed that will germinate after 50 years in storage.
And this is where the implementation of a quality management system comes in.
So a quality management system is a structured system that helps genebanks ensure that they meet user satisfaction and also ensures that they meet regulatory standards.
It encompasses policies, processes, procedures, and resources needed to implement their quality management effectively with gene bank activities.
The Genebank Standards themselves serves as guides that help the genebank structure its quality management.
So the Standards and the Practical Guides set out the criteria for quality, and define the processes and practices a genebank must follow.
So in adopting these standards, the genebank then essentially builds a quality management system around this established framework, by first mapping all its activities.
I think that genebank operational map is a first very important step that needs to be taken in the implementation of a quality management system.
And so the genebank would start looking at its processes and procedures, and what gaps there are between what is effectively being carried out and what should be carried out according to the Genebank Standards.
Scientists of national programs have a significant impact on the knowledge and expertise of the global community.
They consistently participate in global research collaborations. They publish their findings on unique crop species.
They focus on environmental issues such as climate change. They conduct fundamental research with us and other entities.
And that leads to a better understanding of seed conservation.
While national scientists have global relevance, they also address very specific regional issues such as adaptability and customer preferences.
The global scientific community is increasingly interconnected and national programs, especially national gene banks, are an integral part of this dynamic scientific ecosystem.
My advice for a scientist in a national agricultural research organization, who is aspiring to improve their seed quality management, is to first of all know your crops.
Know them profoundly by learning as much as possible about the biology of the crop, the origin of the accessions and adaptability.
A genebank can be very successful in conserving, regenerating and distributing its germplasm.
Another advice that I would give when improving seed quality, for example, is to stay abreast of the science, the scientific findings in the literature regarding seeds, and to seek out the many resources available to increase the staff's knowledge on seed harvesting, for example, seed drying, packing, dormancy breaking procedures.
There's always science evolving about those topics.
So this knowledge, this constant staying abreast of the knowledge, may provide the genebanks with resources to increase seed longevity.
Please write your comments on what Janny says. How does she suggest you should approach the Genebank Standards? How do you think her advice could be adopted in your own genebank? You should spend up to ten minutes on this. If your reflections on the video raise any questions, please post them on the Forum, which you’ll find at the bottom of the left-hand menu, where the course moderators will be able to help you.
When you are ready, press 'reveal' to see our comments.
Discussion
The Genebank Standards provide a structure for seed quality management. They were developed using scientific evidence and general principles. However, these general guidelines are not specific to individual species, and other sources of information may be revealing about an unusual species, and how it behaves. It is a good idea to consult other sources alongside the Genebank Standards, and to keep up with developments in seed science. A national genebank can ensure that the procedures they carry out align with the Genebank Standards by developing a quality management system: an explicit set of instructions for procedures to be carried out, and useful information to be recorded.
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