Organizations in Underexploited Crops


  • Sustainable Native Agriculture Center (SNAC)
    John Kimmey, director.
    Grows and tests native North American crops varieties for their potential. Mr. Kimmey has sent packets of corn, beans, and squash to Egypt, India, the Yucatan, and China.

    Box 360, Arroyo Hondo,
    New Mexico 87513, USA


  • International Development Research Center (IDRC)
    IDRC is a public corporation created by the Canadian government to support researchers in developing countries woiking in agriculture, health, social sciences, and other related fields. They have overseas offices in Senegal, Kenya, Egypt, Colombia, India and Singapore. IDRC's Crops and Animal Production Systems is involved in a variety of research efforts which include oilseed, roots and tubers, horticultural crops, perennials, grain legumes cereals, and Andean crops. IDRC's focus is global.

    P.O. Box 8500,
    Ottawa K1G 3H9, CANADA



  • Andean Crops Network
    The Andean Crops Network was founded by the Instituto Boliviano de Tecnologia Agropecuaria in Ecuador. The members of this organization meet yearly to exchange scientific information and research results on Andean crops. A key researcher on quinoa is Humberto Gandarillas.

    Ing. Humberto Gandarillas
    Instituto Boliviano de Tecnolog’a Agropecuaria
    Casilla Postal 5783
    La Paz, BOLIVIA



  • Seed Saver's Ecxhange (USA)/Native Seeds Search(S.E., USA, Mexico, C. America)
    Seed Savers Exchange is a grassroots genetic preservation project. They provide access to rare and unusual vegetable seeds through participating growers who will send small quantities of seeds to other members of SSE. They cooperate with other organizations such as the Grain Exchange to promote small scale growing of diverse crops. To receive a SSE catalog of plants write to:

    Kent Whealy, Director
    Rural Rout 3, Box 239
    Decorah Iowa 52101



  • International Cover Crops Clearing House (CIDICCIO)
    Milton B. Flores
    They conduct research on cover crops in the tropics as alternatives to fertilizers as errosion control, and sources of food and fodder. Their research has focused on the velvet bean intensively.

    Milton B. Flores, CIDICCIO
    Apartado 3385
    Tegucigalpa HONDURAS



  • International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR)
    The role of IBPGR is to coordinate existing national, regional and crop specific international conservation efforts and to stimulate new efforts. The board supports training programms and on site assistance. They publish technical manuals, directories of information, including those of all known collections and a series of selected crop genetic resources studies.

    Via delle Terme di Caracalla
    Rome 00100, ITALY



  • International Livestock Center for Africa
    With funding from Swiss Development Cooperation Agency, ILCA recently established a Seed Unit. A goal of the Unit is to reduce the gap between demand for and supply of quality legume, browse and pasture grass seed through multiplication of the most promising accessions. Countries requesting seed will then handle distribution to farmers. The Seed Unit will also keep field workers abreast of new developments in seed technology through ILCA's Information and Documentation services.

    R. G. Griffiths, Head of Seed Unit
    ILCA - PO Box 5689
    Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA



  • Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization Inc. (ECHO)
    Dr. Martin Price directs this organization which serves as an information source and seed bank. ECHO grows, and distributes seeds of under-exploited food plants for the Third World. They also provide information on how to prepare various food plants for human or animal consumption. ECHO serves as an information pipeline, taping information from many sources to bring the most useful information to people through its newsletters, ECHO DEVELOPMENT NOTES and ECHO NEWS.

    Dr. Martin Price
    RR #2 Box 852
    North Ft. Myers
    FL 33909



  • Asian Vegetables Research Center AVRDC
    AVRDC has a Tropical Vegetable Information Service (TVIS) which produces a biannual journal on research on Chinese cabbage, mungbean, and soybean. AVRDC has published a directory of researchers and a bibliography of the literature for Chinese cabbage, mungbean and soybean. They are developing a Tropical Vegetable Data File which contains information covering the cultivation of 60 different vegetables under hot, humid conditions. For more information contact:

    Library and Documentation Services
    PO Box 42 Shanhua, Tainan 74199
    Taiwan, ROC



  • FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
    This organization is a clearing house for information on the exchange of germplasm. The FAO's Seed Laboratory has distributed over one million samples of seeds. The Crops Ecology and Genetic Resources Service has been developing a global system to coordinate actions in the field of plant genetic resources. They have studied the conservation and use of ex situ andin situ storage, and its effects on biological diversity, genotypes, and genepools; at the molecular, population, species, and ecosystem levels. Their International Network of Base Collections, and the Global Information System on Plant Genetic Resources promotes the free abailability of germplasm and data on samples.

    David Norse, Senior Planning and Policy Coordinator
    Building B. Room 637
    Via Delle Terme Bi, Carra Calla
    Rome ITALY 00100


  • The Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)
    The Genetic Resources Information Network is a neworked database which serves as a central repository for information on plant genetic resources. GRIN makes available information on the acquisition, maintenance, and improvement of germplasm; research on the preservation of genetic diversity; methods of preserving viability of genetic material through improved storage procedures; and the monitoring of genetic vulnerability. Close to 300,000 samples of seeds and vegetative material are distributed annually to scientist in over 120 different countries.

    For information on tropical crops and germplasm research contact:

    Antonio Sotomayor-Rios, Tropical Agricultural Research Station, PO Box 70, Road 65, Mayaguez, PR 00709, Tel. 809-834-2435.

    For information on Subtropical horticultural research, contact:

    Raymond J. Schnell, 13601 Old Cutler Road, Miami FL 33158, Tel. 305-238-9321.