The Garden's contribution to these collaborations depend on local needs. Institution building may be as simple as improving facilities in a local herbarium and providing broader communication with the scientific community. Or it may involve training local residents in herbarium management, research methods, and conservation techniques. Promising students are assisted to pursue graduate study in the U.S.

The Garden has developed and implemented successful botanical training programs in Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Madagascar, Peru, Tanzania, and Vietnam. The goal is to assist countries to become self-sufficient in managing their own resources. Botanical training is a key component of conservation biology - the Garden's strategy to preserve biodiversity and promote a sustainable world.