National genebanks offer diverse collections of locally adapted crops which can support farmers’ climate resilience, nutritional security and economic innovations, yet are often overlooked in climate adaptation strategies. Across much of the world, national genebanks are unknown to farmers, or poorly connected for varietal exchange. This paper examines the impacts of establishing ‘Germplasm User Groups’ (GUGs) across five African countries to connect farmers with genebanks as rapid responders to local agricultural challenges. GUGs conducted farmer participatory research to evaluate genebank materials and establish pathways for the exchange of knowledge and crop diversity in farming communities. Drawing on surveys and interviews from over 1,600 smallholders, we found GUGs increase farmer understanding of genebanks, improve access to crop diversity and increase farmer exchanges with national genebanks. As well as material exchange, smallholders welcome the learning opportunities from GUGs to address local farming challenges. On average, GUG members share genebank seed with four other farmers, demonstrating the potential spillover effects of this model for sharing crop diversity. We close with recommendations to improve the working of GUGs and offer guidance for other countries looking to adopt the system as a rapid approach strategy to build local resilience in the face of climate change.

Genebanks worldwide play a crucial role in the long-term conservation and accessibility of wide diversity of plant genetic resources (PGR). These resources are essential for addressing current and future challenges related to climate change and biodiversity loss, thereby contributing to agricultural production and sustainability. Enhancing the efficiency of genebanks requires implementing a quality management system that ensures data transparency, as well as the documentation and standardization of processes. This study proposes a set of 10 mandatory and 38 optional genebank metrics specifically designed for collections of orthodox seeds. These metrics define a set of basic parameters that are easy to calculate and collectively serve as a valuable tool for improving genebank management, enhancing performance, fostering transparency and promoting collaborations among institutions. Fourteen institutions engaged in the long-term conservation of PGR were consulted in the development of the proposed metrics. This work lays the foundation for the establishment of a widely accepted set of genebank metrics within the global genebank community. Further research and iterative development are necessary to formulate comprehensive metrics applicable to other ex situ conservation methods (such as cryopreservation, in vitro and field conservation) as well as in situ conservation strategies (including genetic reserves and on-farm conservation).