Microbial biodiversity constitutes by far the most diverse yet least studied component of agricultural ecosystems, with an untapped economic potential that could and should be harnessed. Yet the capacity and infrastructure to study microbes is lacking, especially in the developing world. Microbial collections are few, disjointed, often without long-term commitments for their maintenance, and legal guidelines and policies for sharing microbial germplasm are lacking. As a result, concerted and long-term efforts to study the functionality of this important group, especially in relation to their interactions in the ecosystem, are virtually non-existent.