— Healthier lives, more resilient livelihoods through greater diversity in what we grow and eat —
Our Featured Projects
Engaging women and youth in vegetable production and distribution networks to close the ‘vegetable gap’ and improve livelihoods and nutrition in Ethiopia and Kenya.
Sustainable and climate-smart agricultural and post-harvest practices to increase vegetable consumption in urban and peri-urban areas of West Africa.
Conserve and use African vegetable biodiversity to address malnutrition by increasing the production and consumption of nutritious vegetables.
The World’s Largest Public Vegetable Genebank
The World Vegetable Center genebank maintains a large collection of public domain germplasm for the current and future use of all humankind. We distribute seed samples of our germplasm accessions and advanced breeding lines worldwide.
With 65,152 accessions encompassing germplasm of 133 genera and 330 species from 155 countries, the World Vegetable Center genebank includes globally important vegetables such as tomato, onion, peppers and cabbage as well as more than 10,000 accessions of traditional vegetables.
Each year the Center distributes about 10,000 seed samples to researchers across the globe. Over the past four decades this has led to the release of hundreds of new vegetable varieties with particular impact in developing countries.
Global presence and impact
Center researchers lead and participate in projects throughout Asia and Africa. We have about 400 staff engaged in this spread of activities, and seek to partner with governments, nongovernmental organizations, universities, research institutes, and the private sector to promote prosperity for the poor and health for all.
A new guide to using landscape genomics analysis to enhance conservation and use of plant genetic resources
A new guide to using landscape genomics analysis to enhance conservation and use of plant genetic resources Climate change and environmental disturbances due to human activities are posing significant threats to biodiversity, which in [...]
New report highlights the impact of 50 years of WorldVeg research
New report highlights the impact of 50 years of WorldVeg research Download the full report Analysis of five decades of WorldVeg publications in scientific journals and books indexed in Scopus and Web of Science [...]
Launching the African Vegetable Biodiversity Rescue Plan
Launching the African Vegetable Biodiversity Rescue Plan The African Vegetable Biodiversity Rescue Plan was launched on 2 September 2024 during a side event at the start of this year’s African Food Systems Forum in Kigali, [...]
Africa
Vegetable gardening transforms lives for displaced people in Ethiopia
Vegetable gardening transforms lives for displaced people in Ethiopia Recent conflicts in Ethiopia forced many to move, seeking safety away from their homes. Settling in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), they face hardships [...]
New report presents an analysis of fruit and vegetable value chains in Benin
New report presents an analysis of fruit and vegetable value chains in Benin For the full report This newly released report explores the dynamics of fruit and vegetable value chains in Benin, identifying their [...]
Smiles all round. Transforming lives in Mali with improved vegetable varieties and targeted training
Smiles all round. Transforming lives in Mali with improved vegetable varieties and targeted training Members of the Tamani Soba group proudly present their recent vegetable harvest, alongside WorldVeg trainers In Mali, the [...]
WorldVeg’s Offices in Africa: 📍 Eastern & Southern Africa Office – 📍 West & Central Africa Office (Dry Regions) – 📍 West & Central Africa Office (Humid Regions)
Asia
A study in Fiji shows that a quarter of households can’t afford healthy vegetables
A study in Fiji shows that a quarter of households can’t afford healthy vegetables At the end of March 2025, the World Vegetable Center, in collaboration with the Consumer Council of Fiji and [...]
Advancing tomato breeding in India: bridging the gap from research to market
Advancing tomato breeding in India: bridging the gap from research to market India is the world's second-largest tomato producer, contributing about 11% to global output. Despite cultivating tomato across 0.76 million hectares with a [...]
Healthy soils, prosperous farmers Building climate resilient and regenerative horticulture for smallholder farmers
Healthy soils, prosperous farmersBuilding climate resilient and regenerative horticulture for smallholder farmers The Healthy soils, prosperous farmers program supports smallholder farmers in tribal communities in central and eastern India, especially women and youth, to achieve [...]
WorldVeg’s Offices in Asia: 📍 Headquarters in Taiwan – 📍 South & Central Asia Office – 📍 East & Southeast Asia Office
Latin America / Caribbean
WorldVeg at a World Food Prize Foundation event – and now to begin activities in Mexico
WorldVeg at a World Food Prize Foundation event – and now to begin activities in Mexico On 10-11 July, 600 people from 55 countries attended a DialogueNext event entitled ‘Seeds of strength: nurturing farmer [...]
Growth Habit
Perspectives to expand your view of vegetables
Taller, heavier, hungrier: Can global agriculture meet our demand for more food?
As Body Mass Index (BMI) rises, expect a marked increase in global calorie requirements.
MY SUCCESS
New disease resistant and market-preferred tomato varieties are developed in Benin
New disease resistant and market-preferred tomato varieties are developed in Benin Story and photos: Mathieu Ayenan | March 2023 Tomato is the most popular vegetable in West Africa. And more could be [...]
Vegetable innovations key to unlocking potential of women farmers
In Tanzania, exposure to best farming practices opens new opportunities for enterprising farmer Pendael Paulo.
Tiny, tasty, and packed with nutrients
Ms. Adolat Berdieva produces cherry tomatoes in a low-cost greenhouse she built herself.
A young man’s vision
Plants are the inspiration and income the motivation for a young Ghanaian graduate to take up farming as a career.
RECENT RESEARCH
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WorldVeg’s Donors
Support for World Vegetable Center activities is provided by project donors and the following long-term strategic donors.
Thanks to UK aid from the UK government, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the governments of Taiwan, Germany, Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan.