Context
Cultivated plants have accompanied the transitions in our societies since the development of the first agricultural societies over 10,000 years ago. Their diversity is constantly shaped by the societies that cultivate them.
Diversity is a major asset in today’s transitions: a stakeholder in the agro-ecological transition, a key element in agriculture adapted to global change, and an important issue in interactions between science and society. It is essential to preserve it.
Objectives
Located in Montpellier, the ARCAD centre (Genetic Resources for Conservation, Adaptation and Diversity) is a reference infrastructure dedicated to the conservation, study and development of the genetic diversity of Mediterranean and tropical cultivated plants.
Inaugurated in 2021, ARCAD brings together more than 50,000 seed samples, managed by several biological resource centres, in a high environmental quality building.
Its ambition: to provide researchers and breeders with the tools to meet the major challenges of tomorrow’s agriculture.
50,000 samples
1st French crop conservation bank
3,800m² of HQE-certified surface area
reasons to support this project
- Foster sustainable preservation of cultivated biodiversity, the common heritage of mankind, threatened by cultural standardization and environmental crises.
- Accelerate agricultural adaptation to climate change, by facilitating access to the genetic resources needed to develop resilient varieties.
- Strengthen scientific excellence in Montpellier, by supporting a unique European infrastructure for agricultural research, training and innovation.
