World Vegetable Center


The World Vegetable Center , previously known as the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center, is an international, nonprofit institute for vegetable research and development. It was founded in 1971 in Shanhua, southern Taiwan, by the Asian Development Bank, Taiwan, Republic of Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.
WorldVeg aims to reduce malnutrition and alleviate poverty in developing nations through improving production and consumption of vegetables.

Research and development

The use of vegetables as crops that are of high worth is important in the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations Development Program and the World Vegetable Center. The vegetables bred by the Center can be used in poorer areas, where they can serve as an important source of income and can help fight micronutrient deficiencies.
The Center’s current crop portfolio focuses on several groups of globally important vegetables, according to the WorldVeg:
Indigenous or traditional vegetables, particularly those of Asia and Africa are another focus of research at the World Vegetable Center. Indigenous vegetables are domesticated or semi-wild vegetable crops that are grown in particular regions as an integral part of a local food system. Many of them are underutilized crops, particularly in regions where they are not native.

Germplasm collection

A collection of vegetable germplasm is kept at the World Vegetable Center, which is considered to have the largest and most diverse collection in the world. The collection itself contains more than 60,000 accessions of 442 different species collected from 156 countries.
AVGRIS, the WorldVeg Vegetable Genetic Resources Information System, provides access to all the Center's data associated with germplasm conservation and management, from registration, characterization, evaluation, and seed inventory to seed distribution.

Action to fight climate change

According to The Public Broadcasting Service, "At the World Vegetable Center, experts are looking to the wild relatives of domesticated crops to save the human diet from climate change."