ILRI Genebank - Forage Diversity
Poor-quality feed and fluctuating feed supplies are the biggest constraints to increasing livestock productivity in many tropical countries. Understanding and managing forage diversity is essential for developing new forage resources to alleviate these constraints. The knowledge generated from this work allows scientists to identify genotypes that have potential as livestock feed. It also allows them to find rational ways to conserve essential forage biodiversity for current and future generations as global public goods.
Forage diversity in ILRI is part of a CGIAR systemwide coordinated activity in plant genetic resources.
Activities also support the Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which contributes to achieving the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity and Agenda 21.
The ILRI Genebank conserves more than 18 thousand accessions of forages from over 1000 species. This is one of the most diverse collections of forage grasses, legumes and fodder tree species held in any genebank in the world and includes the world’s major collection of African grasses and tropical highland forages. In 1994, the germplasm collection held by ILRI was placed in trust under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as part of their international network of ex situ collections. ILRI claims no ownership nor seeks any intellectual property rights over the germplasm and related information. ILRI intends to soon sign an agreement to include this material under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
