The world eats from a freezer most people will never see

The first story takes us into the world of genebanks: one of the most vital, yet often invisible, infrastructures underpinning global food security. It follows the collaboration between Theo van Hintum, genebank specialist at Wageningen University & Research, and Vania Azevedo, Director of CGIAR Genebanks. Their work shows why conserving crop diversity is not only about storing seeds and plant materials, but about making sure they remain accessible, reliable and ready to use when farmers, breeders and countries need them most.

From safeguarding crop diversity against climate change and conflict, to strengthening quality systems across CGIAR’s eleven genebanks, this article illustrates what the Senior Expert Programme is designed to do: connect Dutch expertise with global challenges, strengthen international research collaboration and help ensure that science leads to real-world impact.

We would like to thank journalist Jasmijn Snoijink for capturing this story with depth and care, and Vania Azevedo and Theo van Hintum for generously sharing their time, expertise and reflections in the interview. We also gratefully acknowledge the collaborative efforts of CGIAR and NWO, whose partnership and commitment have helped make this series possible. We are also thankful for the additional support of Nienke Beintema (WUR), Timmo Gaasbeek (BZ), and Vera Musch (LVVN) in the process.