Svalbard Global Seed Vault Historic Deposit Bolsters Food Security Amid Crises

23 October 2024

LONGYEARBYEN, SVALBARD, October 23, 2024 - The Svalbard Global Seed Vault received yesterday a deposit of more than 30,000 new seed samples from 23 depositors across 21 countries, including seven international genebanks. This marks the largest number of depositors since the Seed Vault received samples from a record-breaking 35 genebanks in 2020, underscoring the urgent global effort to conserve crop diversity in the face of escalating climate change, conflict and other crises.

The deposit includes first-time contributions from Bangladesh, Bolivia, Chad, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea and Suriname. The Crop Trust is providing financial and technical support to these and other countries to help them take the necessary steps to do so. This support is made possible by generous financial contributions from Norway as part of the ‘Biodiversity for Opportunities, Livelihoods, and Development’ (BOLD) project.

"Climate change and conflict threaten infrastructure and impact food security for over 700 million people in more than 75 countries worldwide. Genebanks are ramping up efforts to back-up seed collections, and we are proud to support them by providing a safe haven in Svalbard,” said Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director of the Crop Trust.

Recent climate data underscores the urgency of this work. 2023 was the hottest year since global records began, by a wide margin. Of the 30 deadliest weather events ever recorded in Africa, five occurred in 2022-2023, and Asia remains the world’s most disaster-prone region. Meanwhile, yields of the main cereals in sub-Saharan Africa are less than half of the world average. This highlights the pressing need to conserve, explore and use the diversity of both forgotten crops and of the better known staples found in the world’s genebanks.

“Humanity depends on a wide diversity of genetic resources to meet future challenges. Therefore, it is gratifying that many genebanks choose to be part of this seed deposit,” said Lise Lykke Steffensen, Executive Director of the Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen). “The Seed Vault has an important purpose to secure these valuable collections, not least given the state of the world today. We are pleased to continue working on this task.”

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault operates through a partnership between the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Crop Trust, and the Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen). The Seed Vault serves as a vital backup for genebanks the world over.

"The Svalbard Global Seed Vault demonstrates the value of international cooperation and Norway's role being the host country of the vault itself," said Geir Pollestad, Norway’s Minister of Agriculture and Food said. "In a world where climate change and conflict pose ever-growing threats to food security and sovereignty, this facility ensures that the genetic diversity we need to adapt our food systems remains available to all." 

Noteworthy October 2024 deposits to the Global Seed Vault include: 

• India: The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), an international genebank based in India, is depositing 2,950 seeds of 56 species, including pearl millet, sorghum, and 28 different Arachis  – wild relatives of the peanut (groundnut), nine of which are new to the Seed Vault. Some of these wild relatives provide high-protein feed for livestock and a nitrogen source in some farming systems. In addition, ICRISAT is sending seeds that will become part of a 100-year experiment, where six partners deposit seeds of food staples and periodically evaluate their viability.
   
• Bolivia: The 400-year-old Universidad Mayor Real y Pontificia de San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca, one of the oldest universities in the Americas, is making Bolivia’s first-ever deposit, safety duplicating maize and bean varieties deeply tied to Indigenous cultures. Some 125 farming families from local communities, registered as "Seed Guardians," were key to assembling the collection.

"This deposit goes beyond conserving crops; it's about protecting our culture," said Alfredo José Salinas Arcienega, project coordinator of BOLD in Bolivia. "Each maize variety holds cultural significance for Indigenous communities. As early season drought and frost threatens traditional farming practices, these seeds become a lifeline for both our agricultural and cultural heritage."

• Philippines: The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is depositing over 7,000 rice samples, the largest number of samples in this deposit. This is a crucial contribution given that rice feeds more than half the world's population. In addition, the country’s national genebank – National Plant Genetic Resources Laboratory – is depositing nearly another 1,000 seeds of 14 crops. These include sorghum, an important cereal crop, and okra, a vegetable rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and in high demand in export markets such as Korea.
   
• Chad: A newcomer to the Seed Vault, the Institut Tchadien de Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement is depositing 1,145 samples of sesame, rice, maize and sorghum. This contribution is particularly significant, as these crop varieties are adapted to Chad’s harsh climate, and therefore crucial for developing crops that can withstand increasing temperatures and erratic rainfall. 
   
• Tanzania: The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) genebank in Tanzania is depositing over 100 accessions of vegetables and other crops, filling a critical gap. Less than 10% of accessions conserved in genebanks are of the more than 1,100 vegetable species around the world. There's an urgent need to rescue and conserve vegetable diversity to address malnutrition. Growing more vegetables, especially in Africa, also means more jobs and resilient farms.

“The WorldVeg genebank in Tanzania has a direct line to farmers, who – through seed kits containing a variety of vegetable seeds, including leafy amaranth and okra – grow and sell these crops to supermarkets,” said Maarten van Zonneveld, Head of Genetic Resources at WorldVeg.

In addition, Sudan’s Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources Conservation and Research Centre (APGRC), prepared hundreds of samples of sorghum and pearl millet seeds with support from BOLD. Genebank staff assembled the seeds despite war raging in the country and lack of access to the main national genebank in Wad Medani. Security trucks transported the seeds to Port Sudan for outward shipment. NordGen will sort, catalogue and dry every seed sample before the final transfer to Svalbard in February 2025.

Seeds also come from another area of intense conflict. The Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) in Palestine has delivered seeds of 21 species of vegetables, legumes and herbs. 

Many of the seeds in this deposit represent “opportunity crops” that can thrive in challenging conditions and have untapped potential to improve food security, nutrition, and resilience to climate change. Due to changing trends in food and agriculture, many of these crops have been left out of peoples’ meals and policymakers’ agendas. They include crops like okra, millets and pigeon pea.

Contributing countries and institutions: 

 

Seed deposits October 2024	Country	Accesions / samples	Boxes	Crops
International and Regional Genebanks
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)	Philippines	7260	21	rice
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)	Mexico	5442	15	Aegilops, wheat and maize
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)	India	2950	5	56 species and subspecies, mostly pearl millet, sorghum and Arachis (9 out of 28 Arachis species are new in the Seed Vault)
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)	Morocco	2292	18	chickpea, barley and lentils
World Vegetable Centre (Tanzania department)	Taiwan	2137	3	108 species/subspecies, mainly vegetables
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)	Ethiopia	1750	2	447 species/subspecies, many not deposited in the Seed Vault before
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Plant Genetic Resources Network (SPGRC)	Zambia	433	4	Approx. 50 crop species, vegetables, millets, sorghum etc.
International Potato Center (CIP)	Peru	20	1	sweet potatoes
National Genebanks
Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute (IHAR) - National Research Institute	Poland	1290	3	wheat, rye and tomatoes
Suceava Genebank ”Mihai Cristea”	Romania	158	1	36 species of cereals, legumes, vegetables, herbs etc.
Thailand's National Rice Seed Storage Laboratory for Genetic Resources (NRSSL)	Thailand	72	1	rice
Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) (new depositor)	Palestine	23	1	21 species, vegetables, legumes, herbs
National Genebanks w/ support from BOLD
Institut Tchadien de Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (new depositor)	Chad	1145	7	16 species, most Sorghum, Sesamum, rice and maize
National Plant Genetic Resources Laboratory	Philippines	983	5	14 species/subspecies, beans, sorghum, tomatoes, maize, okra, peppers etc.
Agricultural University of Tirana	Albania	850	13	18 species, 350 maize, 300 wheat + vegetables, etc.
Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) (new depositor)	Bangladesh	725	2	35 species of different crop groups, 302 rice, then different tropical vegetables etc.
Anne van Dijk Rice Research Centre Nickerie (new depositor)	Suriname	577	3	rice
National Agricultural Research Institute (new depositor)	Papua New Guinea	520	1	sweet potatoes
Instituto de Agroecologia y Seguridad Alimentaria, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias (new depositor)	Bolivia	500	6	maize and beans
Zambia Agr. Research Institute, National Plant Genetic Resources Centre (ZARI) (S4R and BOLD)	Zambia	392	3	15 species: maize, vigna beans, groundnut, finger millet, pearl millet, pigeon pea, etc.
Institut d'Economie Rurale	Mali	212	1	maize
National Horticultural Research Institute (new depositor)	Nigeria	200	2	Two okra species and peppers
University of Costa Rica	Costa Rica	130	1	7 phaseolus bean species
TOTAL		30061	119

Learn more at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault official website: www.seedvault.no.  

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About the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food

The Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food is the legal and administrative body of the Seed Vault and has the overall responsibility for its management, security and funding. The Ministry has assigned Statsbygg, the key adviser on construction and property to the Norwegian Government to be responsible for the construction and maintenance of the Seed Vault. For more information see www.regjeringen.no. 

About NordGen

NordGen is the Nordic countries’ genebank and knowledge center for genetic resources. As the operational manager of the Seed Vault, NordGen is responsible for handling the seeds inside the Seed Vault; communicating with genebanks; and maintaining a publicly accessible online database with information on the seed samples stored in the Seed Vault (seedvault.nordgen.org). Read more about Nordgen at www.nordgen.org/en. 

About the Crop Trust

The Crop Trust is an international organization working to conserve crop diversity and thus protect global food and nutrition security. At the core of Crop Trust is an endowment fund dedicated to providing guaranteed long-term financial support to key genebanks worldwide. The Crop Trust supports the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and coordinates large-scale projects worldwide to secure crop diversity and make it available for use, globally forever and for the benefit of everyone. The Crop Trust is recognized as an essential element of the funding strategy of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Learn more at www.croptrust.org.

About the Biodiversity for Opportunities, Livelihoods and Development (BOLD) Project

BOLD is a 10-year project to strengthen food and nutrition security worldwide by supporting the conservation and use of crop diversity. The project works with national genebanks, pre-breeding and seed system partners globally. Funded by the Government of Norway, BOLD is led by the Crop Trust in partnership with the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and the International Plant Treaty. Learn more at https://bold.croptrust.org. 

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Luis Salazar
luis.salazar@croptrust.org 
+49 171 185 9490

Lynda Mwakisha
lmwakisha@burness.com
+254 704 589 177

 

Editor’s note: A selection of photos can be found in this Google Drive.

Categories: For The Press, Press Releases, BOLD