In barley, we are particularly fortunate because an enormous amount of natural diversity exists within the cultivated; but more strikingly within barley landrace and wild barley genepools for tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stress. Two projects have recently been funded that aim to tap into this natural diversity to identify chromosomal regions (and ultimately genes) underlying the major trait loci in barley: Generation Challenge Programme funded project entitled ‘Genomic dissection of tolerance to drought stress in wild barley’ and an EU funded project entitled ‘Genomics-Assisted Exploitation of Barley Diversity’. The AGOUEB project is also looking at association genetics in elite cultivated barleys.