Empowering genebanks with Genesys: insights from the largest GOAL-DM workshop yet.
Bogotá, Colombia, became the venue for the largest-ever GOAL Data Management (GOAL-DM) Workshop from 18–22 November 2024, with a strong focus on using Genesys to publish genebank data online. Hosted by the Crop Trust in collaboration with Agrosavia, this event brought together 36 representatives from 14 organizations across 12 countries. Represented genebanks include Alliance of Bioversity & CIAT, CIMMYT, CIP, AGROSAVIA (Colombia), ADRON (Suriname), Embrapa (Brazil), ICTA (Guatemala), IICA and INIAP (Ecuador), INIA (Chile), INIA (Uruguay), INIA (Argentina), Instituto Humboldt (Colombia), and IPTA (Paraguay).
The workshop provided participants with insights into the latest features and tools available in Genesys, including a masterclass on publishing and querying trait data, and the AI search. The main outcome of the event was the review and improvement of the Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese translations of the data in Genesys. Making Genesys accessible in these languages unlocks genebank resources for breeders and researchers across Latin America.
Special thanks go to AGROSAVIA that provided invaluable logistical support, and invited the participants to visit their genebank in Bogotá.
This workshop marks a significant step in increasing the understanding and adoption of Genesys amongst genebanks in Latin America. The Crop Trust and its partners look forward to building on the progress made during this workshop, continuing to support genebanks in their essential role of preserving biodiversity for the future.