AnanasNet: the proposal for a 21^st century pineapple network

This article proposes the formation of an international network called AnanasNet, focused on cooperation and partnerships between actors interested in advancing pineapple research, with emphasis on the conservation and use of genetic resources of the Ananas genus. The network should drive pineapple genus research to develop not only high quality food products, but also products targeted at other markets, such as fibers and active ingredients of interest to pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Based on the vision of aggregation of values and sustainability of the pineapple agrossystem, and considering the impacts of ongoing climate changes, will be crucial for the network construction, among other actions, to make an inventory and a map of the available genetic resources and to identify and prioritize ways to produce products able to meet the increasing demands of the 21^st century market. Looking at the example of the successful MusaNet network, the global banana genetic resources network, founded in 2011 and coordinated by Bioversity International, the proposal will discuss ways for building and maintaining the AnanasNet, congregating institutions, companies, producers and researchers for a cooperative joint effort in the search for innovative solutions to the current and future challenges of the pineapple industry.