If you can make your way to Cali, Colombia on March 3rd and 4th, you are invited to take a comprehensive, first-hand look at a cutting-edge agricultural seed bank. This two day workshop will take place at the Future Seeds genebank, a state-of-the-art facility operated by the Alliance of Biodiversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture on its 500-hectare campus just outside of the city.
The genebank is becoming the first in the world to be housed in a platinum-level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) structure that includes solar panels, natural ventilation, and rainwater harvesting. In addition to a behind-the-scenes tour of this site, the Future Seeds event will feature opportunities to speak with researchers and staff about how seed banks operate, how they facilitate the work of agricultural science, and what this resource can contribute to helping farmers in the world’s tropical regions deal with new climatic and ecological conditions.
Participants will be free to conduct formal interviews and film or photograph the work taking place in laboratories and field stations on the campus. In addition to climate change, discussion topics will cover plant genetics for breeding purposes, using predictive A.I. models to identify possible biodiversity hotspots, and cryopreservation of crop genetic material.
There are a few spots remaining for the visit and your travel costs can be covered. Please contact Michael Hoevel at michael@marchmontcomms.com or +44 7962 657322 with any questions or to express interest in joining.