2000: Expanding on work begun a decade ago, the AVRDC genebank staff launches collecting expeditions for traditional vegetables and wild relatives of cultivated crops in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

2000: More than 7500 women in Bangladesh receive training in vegetable processing, and learn how to minimize nutrient losses when preparing vegetables for meals.

2001: Socioeconomic studies become an integral part of the Center’s research portfolio to better understand the impact of AVRDC improved vegetable lines and technologies on rural and urban families.

2001: Virus-resistant tomato lines developed from wild relatives using molecular markers.

2002: The high levels of toxic pesticide used in eggplant production across Asia and Africa prompt AVRDC entomologists to develop a safe strategy to control eggplant fruit and shoot borer: clipping damaged shoots to remove larvae, using pheromone to trap moths before mating, and reducing the use of chemical pesticides to allow natural predators to attack the borers.

2002: With its many activities across the globe, AVRDC begins to refer to itself as “AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center.”

2003: In India, AVRDC tomato cultivars resistant to tomato leaf curl virus produce 32-35 tons of high quality fruit per hectare— nearly twice the yield of the most commonly planted varieties.

2003: AVRDC’s nutrition team conducts an exhaustive search of antioxidant properties among more than 100 types and varieties of vegetables.

2004: Breeders develop high beta-carotene fresh market and cherry tomatoes for vitamin A-deficient areas of Africa and Asia.

2004: Socioeconomic studies by AVRDC researchers in Africa point to the importance of indigenous vegetables in resource-poor communities, and emphasize the need to preserve biodiversity and indigenous knowledge on production and consumption.

2005: The Center’s improved vegetable lines and technologies extended to new areas, including Central Asia and the Caucasus and North Korea.

2005: AVRDC sends more than 5 tons of seed and gardening supplies to survivors of the December 2004 tsunami in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

2006: High beta-carotene cherry tomato bred at AVRDC introduced to Africa and Asia.

2006: Research into postharvest technologies for Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam identify market opportunities and improved methods for harvest, shipping, packaging and processing.

2007: Vegetable soybeans with a “basmati” flavor developed to increase the popularity of this nutritious legume with consumers in the tropics.

2007: African traditional vegetables—African eggplant, amaranth, Ethiopian mustard, and nightshade—selected for studies on vegetable value chains in urban areas.

2008: The Center formally changes its name to AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center to reflect the wider geographical scope of its work.

2008: A new nethouse design developed with partners in the Punjab attracts the interest of vegetables growers seeking to reduce pesticide use, improve quality, and grow vegetables during the off-season.

2009: AVRDC’s affordable microirrigation package for West Africa tests drip irrigation kits, pedal pumps and microsprinklers to offers farmers a means to manage and conserve scarce water resources.

2009: The Center’s ongoing, long-term effort to improve and disseminate mungbean is recognized in the book Millions Fed: Proven Successes in Agricultural Development, published by the International Food Policy Research Institute.