Germplasm and Associated Data

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)

Requirements

Purpose of the study 

The study aims to present evidence on germplasm and data use, how it contributes towards CGIAR’s 5 Impact Areas, and inform the design of the proactive user engagement strategy and online portal to be implemented within AoW 2. 

The study will have the following indicative objectives: 

Identify how germplasm requested from CGIAR genebanks and its associated data have been used in published research (peer-reviewed articles and grey literature), including establishing the baseline of data use; 

Assess the geographical, institutional, and disciplinary spread of the use; 

Compare government-published lists of released crop varieties with Genebanks records and the findings from the published literature and establish a link between released crop varieties and Genebanks; 

Identify evidence of outcomes/impact that contributes towards CGIAR’s 5 Impact Areas; 

Identify areas in the genebanks that are not represented in published research. 

The study will cover the following dimensions: 

Germplasm and associated data sourced from CGIAR genebanks in the last 20 years; 

Global, with a focus on the Global South; 

All CGIAR genebanks;  

Germplasm and data Users, with a differentiation between CGIAR users, including breeding programs, and non-CGIAR users.  

 Limitations:  

There will be no field-level validation. 

Outcome/Impact can be inferred and not directly measured.  

Tentative Research Questions 

Tentative Research Questions are presented below:  

How has germplasm held in CGIAR genebanks and its associated data been used, within and outside CGIAR, in research, policy, and other disciplines? 

What is the current use level of germplasm associated data? 

What is the geographic, institutional, and disciplinary spread in germplasm and associated data use? 

How do government-published lists of released crop varieties link with Genebanks records and the findings from the published literature? 

How does published evidence show the contribution of germplasm use and associated data towards CGIAR’s 5 Impact Areas? 

What are the underrepresented crops, regions, or potential use cases in germplasm use? 

Tentative Methodological Approach 

The systematic review should employ approaches that suit the review questions including: 

A protocol that has a clear definition of the scope of the review, the method, with explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria. 

Comprehensive literature search and review. 

Synthesis of findings to identify gaps and key insights. 

Scope: 

Studies that mention that the source of the germplasm and associated data is the CGIAR genebanks. 

 Published research will include peer-reviewed articles and grey literature such as conference proceedings, international event reports, and technical briefs, thesis, where germplasm sourced from CGIAR genebanks is described. Recent uses may not be visible in literature due to time lag between the request of germplasm and publication of results leading to underrepresentation of use. The inclusion of grey literature, such as reports and outputs from international events (e.g., conference proceedings, abstracts, presentations) would mitigate the lack of visibility to reflect recent and current use.