In this episode of Oh Crop!, host Kat Morgan sits down in Tainan, Taiwan with Dr. Maarten van Zonneveld (Head of Genetic Resource) and Dr. Lucas Pawera (Agronomist/Agroecologist) from the World Vegetable Center to discuss the critical role of gene banks in conserving vegetable biodiversity, the importance of agroecology and soil health, and other challenges and opportunities in food systems. The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg), previously known as the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC), is an international, nonprofit institute for vegetable research and development. The conversation highlights the intersections of crop diversity, gene banks, and vegetable conservation, emphasizing the need for diverse crops to ensure culturally relevant nutrition security amid global challenges. Global seed and genebanks are designed to safeguard plant genetic diversity—preserving seeds and tissues for long-term food security, climate-resilient crop breeding, and protection against loss from conflict, disease, or extinction. Check out the research below to learn about the interviewee’s research and WorldVeg’s newest initiative, Vegetables4Life.

Resources:

• https://avrdc.org/healthy-soils-for-healthy-cities/
• https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5810884
• https://avrdc.org/launching-vegetables4life/

In this episode of Oh Crop!, host Kat Morgan, MPH speaks with Dr. Jean-Claude Rubyogo, Director of the Pan-African Bean Research Alliance (PABRA), to explore the powerful — and often underestimated — role beans play in shaping nutrition, livelihoods, and resilience across African food systems. Drawing on decades of experience in bean research and seed systems development, Jean-Claude reflects on the journey of building PABRA into a continent-wide alliance and why beans sit at the intersection of nutrition security, women’s empowerment, climate adaptation, and public health. He shares how value-chain innovations — from breeding and seed distribution to markets and school feeding programs — have helped beans move from a subsistence crop to a strategic development lever. The conversation dives into the science and art of breeding new bean varieties, emphasizing the importance of understanding consumer preferences, cooking qualities, and nutritional needs — particularly the role of high-iron beans in school feeding programs. The episode closes with a reflection on beans as a tool for peace and community resilience.

Learn more:
-https://alliancebioversityciat.org/who-we-are/jean-claude-rubyogo
- https://www.pabra-africa.org/

- https://cgspace.cgiar.org/items/5ba8c701-08ff-41bb-885b-96309e56767f

In this episode of Oh Crop!, host Kat Morgan, MPH sits down with Dr. Cary Fowler—the 2024 World Food Prize Laureate, former U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security, and widely known as the architect of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

Recorded during his tenure launching the Food Security Leadership Council, this conversation explores why crop diversity, soil health, and long-term agricultural R&D are among the most urgent and underestimated global security challenges of our time. Dr. Fowler reflects on growing up in the Southeastern United States, the civil rights movement, and how those experiences shaped a career dedicated to protecting the foundations of our food system.

The discussion also dives into the rising threats of climate change, soil degradation, and water scarcity; the need to prioritize nutrition security over calorie security; and why elevating indigenous crops—often grown by women—can transform both livelihoods and resilience.

Dr. Fowler closes with what gives him hope: young people, growing scientific capacity around the world, and a renewed return to the fundamentals that make agriculture work.

• https://www.caryfowler.com/
• https://www.foodsecurityleadership.org/