Background
The organization’s various name changes reflect a change in focus. At first it worked on the emergency collection of plant genetic resources. Then came a phase of promoting the conservation of plant genetic resources through use. Now, Bioversity says it is researching agricultural biodiversity to improve the lives of poor people. It has also expanded its focus from strictly plant genetic resources to include animals, microbes and other aspects of agricultural biodiversity.
The organization takes the view that the diversity of plants and animals offers opportunities not only through breeding 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 ecosystem services delivered by healthy populations of pollinators, biological control agents, and soil microbes. Bioversity works with partners to provide evidence of the wider benefits of agricultural biodiversity for human well-being and to explore what types of diversity can make the greatest contribution and in what ways this can be done.
Read more about this topic: Bioversity International
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)