The exciting discoveries of molecular biology are not being used in ways to realize their maximum benefit for the world¿s poor; neither are the rich pools of genetic resources that exist in collections held by national agricultural research systems (NARS) and the Future Harvest Centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The products of the genomics revolution will not address the needs of the resource poor unless strong coalitions are made by institutions dedicated to alleviating poverty. The Challenge Program ¿Unlocking Genetic Diversity in Crops for the Resource-Poor¿ will produce a new, unique public platform for accessing and developing new genetic resources using new molecular technologies and traditional means. An unprecedented array of genomic and genetic resources, ready for direct use in plant improvement, will be made available as public goods, first to the national agricultural research systems (NARS) of developing countries, small and large, that have plant improvement programs, and later to any other entities that have crop improvement goals, especially those dedicated to the resource-poor farmers. These products will be in the form of enabling technologies and intermediate products for crop improvement programs in NARS and elsewhere...