Substantial steps to saving Southeast Asia’s vegetable biodiversity

Safeguarding Southeast Asia’s rich vegetable biodiversity was significantly advanced with a Seed Homecoming Ceremony on 3 December in Taiwan’s capital city Taipei, followed by an International Symposium on 4-5 December 2024 at the World Vegetable Center headquarters in Tainan. These events brought together more than 80 participants from 11 Southeast Asian countries, and that marked the conclusion of the first phase of the Taiwan-Asia Vegetable Initiative (TAsVI). This initiative, led by WorldVeg, in partnership with partners in Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, focused on conserving vegetable biodiversity and promoting the use of vegetable germplasm in research, breeding, and farming. By the end of the project, more than 3,000 seed accessions representing 57 vegetable species have been successfully repatriated to their countries of origin, strengthening regional food systems, health, and climate resilience.

Symbolically ‘watering the seed’ by representatives from Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, from Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Tien Chung-kwang (first from the right) and WorldVeg Director General Marco Wopereis (first from the left)

This Seed Homecoming Ceremony celebrated the return of seed accessions collected 20–30 years ago in Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Representatives from WorldVeg formally handed these seeds back to national authorities, symbolizing a commitment to preserving these genetic resources. Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang emphasized Taiwan’s dedication to promoting agricultural development through international collaboration, and highlighted TAsVI’s role in building a regional network for knowledge and resource sharing, which is critical to biodiversity conservation.

Echoing Tien’s sentiments, WorldVeg Director General Marco Wopereis expressed gratitude for Taiwan’s unwavering support in responding to the urgency of preserving vegetable germplasm. He noted that Southeast Asia boasts the world’s richest vegetable diversity, including many endangered local species, and called for greater global efforts to protect these invaluable resources.

Ghani Aznifah from the Malaysian Friendship and Trade Centre, Taipei (left) and Irene Tan, Director for Administration and Development Cooperation of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (right), amongst those who gave their remarks. That was then followed by a panel discussion.

A panel discussion was then facilitated by WorldVeg scientist Dr Lourena Maxwell, asking global and regional thought leaders from the public and private sectors how partnerships can help promote the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of global crop germplasm diversity. Sarada Krishnan, Director of Programs of The Global Crop Diversity Trust, stressed the event’s relevance for contributing to global efforts to rescue food. Sophia Cheng, Chief Investment Officer with Cathay Financial Holdings in Taiwan, noted the relevance of communication to make private companies understand why the rescue and conservation of biodiversity is important for society. Gerald Glenn Panganiban, Director General of the Philippines Bureau of Plant Industry, raised the relevance of coordination at national level to advance this agenda, and Hsueh-Shih Lin, Director General of the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute explained how TARI is implementing a project to regenerate germplasm of different food groups, including vegetables, in collaboration with WorldVeg and breeders across the country. And Maarten van Zonneveld, WorldVeg Head of Genetic Resources, described about how working with private seed companies helps to regenerate seed and better understand align both short-term and long-term goals of the private and public sector.

A symposium to shape the future

Then, for two days, and international symposium was held at WorldVeg headquarters, entitled – ‘Saving Southeast Asian vegetable biodiversity. Assessing trends, current status, and building an inclusive roadmap for future conservation and use’. This had an ultimate goal of contributing to development of a Southeast Asian Vegetable Biodiversity Rescue Plan that will expand conservation efforts. Experts and partners shared valuable insights through keynote speeches and panel discussions, including from Maarten van Zonneveld, WorldVeg Head of Genetic Resources, who set the stage with an overview of vegetable biodiversity conservation in Southeast Asia, Lukas Pawera, WorldVeg Agroecologist, and Ee Von Gogh, WorldVeg Scientist for Food Systems, who highlighted the critical connections between soil health, nutrition, and biodiversity, and Sarada Krishnan, Director of Programs at Crop Trust, who underscored the importance of global partnerships in conserving and utilizing crop diversity.

These laid the foundation for collaborative strategies to ensure the sustainable use of vegetable biodiversity in farming systems across the region. As part of the program, participants also visited the newly renovated International Vegetable Genebank and its regeneration fields, gaining firsthand insights into the infrastructure and practices supporting global biodiversity conservation efforts.

A cornerstone of TAsVI has been the repatriation of seed accessions stored in the WorldVeg genebank in Taiwan. Throughout late 2024, seed homecoming ceremonies and national workshops have already been held in Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam. These events connected national genebanks with universities, government organizations, seed companies, and farmer groups, encouraging the use of repatriated accessions in research and farming. And the success of TAsVI’s first phase sets the stage for expanded activities across Southeast Asia, furthering efforts to conserve endangered local species and promote biodiversity for the benefit of future generations.

These events are part of the Taiwan Asia Vegetable Initiative (TAsVI), funded by the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2022-2024). It is implemented by the World Vegetable Center, in partnership with the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) National Plant Genetic Resources Center; Malaysia Agriculture Research and Development Institute (MARDI) Horticulture Research Centre; University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Institute of Plant Breeding, and Bureau of Plant Industries (BPI), the Philippines; Kasetsart University Tropical Vegetable Research Center (TVRC), and Department of Agriculture Horticulture Research Institute national genebank, Thailand; and Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute (FAVRI), and Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS) Plant Resource Center (PRC), Vietnam.