News

Stefan Schmitz | Executive Director

Banner photo: CIAT/Stephanie Malyon

Many of us take eating three nutritious meals each day for granted. The reality is that, for many others, such bounty is unattainable. A new report has...

Luigi Guarino | Director of Science

Today is International Day for Biological Diversity, and the theme this year is “Our solutions are in nature.” That’s easy enough to say, and of course very topical, not to mention sounding...

The cowpea keeps millions of people fed every day—but with the climate crisis threatening production, scientists are finding ways to increase its yields and hardiness.

“The cowpea has nourished people for many centuries,” said Ou...

The casual foodie might know a few fun facts about the chickpea. It’s a core ingredient in hummus, yes. It’s stuffed with protein, healthy fibers, vitamins and antioxidants, sure. It’s a versatile, nutritious ingredient that can...

Ever heard the saying "as American as apple pie"? What about "for mom and apple pie," the proclamation made by many American soldiers shipping overseas during WWII? Over the last century, American patriotism and apple pie have...

Letter from the Executive Director

"The importance of the global family of genebanks as fail-safes for our planet’s future food supply has never been so apparent."

Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting the Svalbard Global...

Polar Bears, Choirs and Camaraderie

Touching base with Åsmund Asdal, Seed Vault Coordinator, NordGen

Coronavirus SARD-CoV-2 (COVID-19) continues to significantly impact so many of us around the world. With countries on...

This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Climate change represents the biggest challenge to the future of humanity and to our foods. Although farmers have been adapting crops for thousands of years through the...

It might come as a surprise that there are many crops that can’t be conserved in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Aside from today’s star the banana, these include favorites like: cacao, cassava, coffee, potato, sweetpotato,...

Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director

The values of multilateralism have never been so important

As I write, one third of the world’s population is in “lockdown”. Governments are demanding that their citizens stay at home. New...

In the whirlwind of the last several months, the global pandemic COVID-19 has altered the way many of us run our lives as we trade trousers for sweatpants, staff meetings for video conferences guest-starring our pets. And like...