Indonesia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, with a rich diversity of vegetable crops and local varieties. Yet genetic erosion continues, and valuable diversity is often lost before it can be conserved or used in crop improvement.

In 2016, East West Seed Indonesia (Ewindo) and Pusat Inovasi AgroTeknologi at the University of Gadjah Mada joined forces to establish Indonesia’s first vegetable genebank in Yogyakarta. The partnership combined public research capacity with private sector investment and expertise.

Through financial and in-kind support, including infrastructure development, donation of plant genetic resources and training of genebank staff, this collaboration strengthened national capacity to conserve and manage vegetable diversity. At the same time, it reinforces the link between conservation and breeding, ensuring that valuable genetic resources remain available for future innovation.

This example highlights how public-private collaboration can contribute not only to access and evaluation, but also to long-term capacity building in agrobiodiversity conservation.

For more inspiration, explore the other videos, or take a look at SeedNL’s 7 Guiding Principles.