The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and the World Vegetable Center further strengthened their long and productive relationship when Mellissa Wood, ACIAR Global Program General Manager, signed a Partnership Arrangement with WorldVeg on 20 December 2018 at WorldVeg headquarters in southern Taiwan.

“The two institutions have worked together on many, many initiatives,” said Marco Wopereis, WorldVeg Director General. “The International Mungbean Improvement Network. Crop management research in the Pacific Islands. Youth agribusiness groups in East Africa. Promoting traditional vegetables in Papua New Guinea. It’s been a great collaboration and I am delighted it will continue.”

Ms. Wood was accompanied by Gert-Jan Stads, ACIAR Project Leader for the Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators project.

In a welcome presentation, Marco introduced the Center’s global activities to the visitors. The Partnership Arrangement then was signed in the presence of WorldVeg Deputy Director General – Administration & Services Yin-fu Chang.

WorldVeg Genebank Manager Maarten van Zonneveld spoke about the Center’s work in the preservation and use of traditional vegetables in the Pacific region, and guided the visitors through the genebank collection of 60,000 accessions, or specimens, of more than 435 vegetable species.

Ms. Wood planted a tree on the WorldVeg campus to commemorate the signing, and then enjoyed lunch with a group of WorldVeg scientists and staff.