Genetic diversity is preserved through a variety of in situ (in position or in-field) agricultural practices described above. In addition, there are a number of organizations that enlist teams of local farmers to grow native varieties, particularly those that are threatened by extinction due to lack of modern-day use. There are also local, national and international efforts to preserve agricultural genetic resources through ex situ (off-site) methods such as seed and sperm banks. Some of the major germplasm storage efforts include:

• The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) is a consortium of International Agriculture Research Centers (IARC) and others that each conduct research on and preserve germplasm from a particular crop or animal species. The CGIAR and the IARCs are funded by donor countries (including a significant contribution from the United States), private foundations, and international and regional organizations. The CGIAR holds one of the world's largest ex situ collections of plant genetic resources in trust for the world community. It contains over 500,000 accessions of more than 3,000 crop, forage, and agroforestry species. The collection includes farmers' varieties and improved varieties and, in substantial measure, the wild species from which those varieties were created - CGIAR website, 2003
  
  
• National germplasm storage centers including the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation, India's National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR), the Taiwan Livestock Research Institute, and the Australian Network of Plant Genetic Resource Centres.
  
  
• Organizations such as the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) are non-profit organizations that provide funding and other support to ex situ and in situ conservation efforts.