Svalbard Seed Vault Welcomes Baobab, Hairy Eggplant and African Rice
27 February 2024
Longyearbyen, Norway - February 27, 2024 - The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a cornerstone of global food security, will open its doors for the first time this year to welcome 23 depositors, half from Africa.
Nine depositors – from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cameroon, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, and Zambia – are sending their seeds for safekeeping for the first time. Some more popular crops deposited this time are beans, barley, cowpea, maize, rice, millet, and sorghum.
A Symbol of Collective Commitment
Established 16 years ago and operated in a partnership between the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen) and the Crop Trust, the facility was designed to hold over 2 billion seeds and ensure their availability for future generations. Located in the permafrost of the Svalbard archipelago on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, the Seed Vault maintains optimal conditions for the long-term storage of seeds, protecting them from natural and human-made disasters.
In addition to its role as a repository of diversity, the Svalbard Seed Vault symbolizes international cooperation and solidarity. The deposit event, which will be attended by the Minister of Food and Agriculture of Norway, Geir Pollestad, exemplifies the collective commitment of the world agricultural community to sustainable development, biodiversity conservation, and the well-being of present and future generations.
The deposit on 27 February will see a diverse array of returning and new depositors contributing to safeguarding agricultural biodiversity. With the addition of almost 14,000 this month, the Seed Vault will now house over 1.27 million seed samples.
International Seeds Go Underground
IPK (Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research) in Germany will deposit the largest number of seeds: 2,679 samples of 267 different species of crops. Mali’s Institut d'Economie Rurale is the second largest depositor, with 1,601 samples of sorghum, beans, pearl millet, fonio, millet and other crops.
The third largest deposit, of 1,045 rice accessions, will be sent by Madagascar’s National Center for Applied Research of Rural Development. This and 14 other deposits are possible thanks to support from the Biodiversity for Opportunities, Livelihoods and Development (BOLD) Project, a global 10-year initiative to strengthen global food and nutrition security funded by the Government of Norway and led by the Crop Trust.
BOLD partners come from all corners of the world. The event includes the first deposit of cowpea and rice from Nigeria-based Ahmadu Bello University, one of Africa's largest and most prestigious universities. The University of Sarajevo’s Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences in Bosnia and Herzegovina sends seeds of maize, beans, and other crops. The Indonesia-based Borneo Institute Foundation, an NGO, is shipping seeds of hairy eggplant, maize, rice, and Vigna.
A returning depositor, the Institut d’Economie Rurale (IER) of Mali, will ship seeds of African rice and fonio (Digitaria exilis), both declining crops. African rice, a local species distinct from the more familiar Asia kind, was historically neglected and forbidden to grow in commercial rice zones. It is mainly found in the inland delta of the Niger River and is highly nutritious. New, more productive varieties have been developed by crossing it with Asian rice, benefiting the people of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
The deposit also includes tree and forage seeds.
African baobab and numerous types of acacia are part of the agroforestry tree seeds sent by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). Seeds of birch, pine and spruce will arrive from Skogfrøverket, the Forest Tree Seed Centre, which is responsible for conserving and managing forest tree seeds in Norway. Julius Kühn Institute from Germany is sending apple seeds.
A BOLD project partner and first-time depositor, the Kazakh Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture and Plant Growing is putting a particular emphasis on safeguarding seeds of alfalfa and wheat grass. “Pastures are the main source of animal feed for indigenous communities. Unfortunately, pasture species are disappearing in some places,” said Sakysh Yerzhanova, Leading Researcher of the Forage Crops Laboratory of the Kazakh institute. New Zealand’s national forage genebank, the Margot Forde Germplasm Centre, is sending perennial ryegrass and other forage crops.
Once delivered safely to the Seed Vault, the seed samples will join the tens of thousands already stored in the subterranean seed chambers at temperatures of around −18°C.
Additional Quotes
Geir Pollestad, Minister of Agriculture and Food for Norway, said:
“The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is a long-term security measure for global food security. This deposit will be the largest number of new depositors that we have ever seen. After this deposit, 111 seed banks in 77 different countries will have a backup of their seeds in Svalbard. This is not a symbolic act, it is part of the countries’ security policy, says the Norwegian Minister of Agriculture and Food Geir Pollestad.”
Lise Lykke Steffensen, Executive Director of NordGen, said:
“Svalbard Global Seed Vault offers an additional, vital level of security for the world’s agricultural biodiversity, a service that is important for our global food security, especially in troubled times. It is both gratifying and hopeful that so many new genebanks around the world will participate in this seed deposit.”
Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director of the Crop Trust, said:
"One cannot describe the relief and joy we all feel as the seed boxes from all over the world arrive at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. There is so much work behind this brief moment. The Seed Vault represents a shared commitment to global peace, where nations unite to safeguard a common resource vital for sustaining life worldwide. Preserving genetic diversity in this Arctic fastness ensures the adaptability and resilience in our crops, guaranteeing food security for generations to come."
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Notes to Editor
A full list of the 23 genebank depositors who are delivering unique seed varieties to Longyearbyen can be found below:
Seed deposits February 2024 | |||
Depositors | Country | Accesions | Details |
Margot Forde Germplasm Centre | New Zealand | 205 | 17 forage species, grasses and Trifolium ssp., 101 Lolium |
World Agroforestry Centre ICRAF | Kenya | 232 | 21 sp. agroforestry tree species, 60 Acacia ssp., 46 Faidherbia |
Institute of Biosciences and BioResources | Italy | 200 | 7 species, 194 Triticum ssp. |
National Agricultural and Food Centre | Slovakia | 199 | 7 species, 191 wheat |
IPK | Germany | 2679 | 267 different species |
NordGen | Nordic countries | 1015 | 135 species, appr. 500 barley |
Julius Kühn Institute | Germany | 5 | Fragaria and Malus |
Skogfrøverket | Norway | 57 | Picea, Pinus, Alnus, Betula |
BOLD partners | |||
Kazakh Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture and Plant Growing (new) | Kazakhstan | 522 | 15 species, forage grasses and legumes |
Fabia CSB Bogdanci (BOLD) | North-Macedonia | 197 | 18 species, vegetables, legumes, 102 Phaseolus ssp. |
Biodiversity Education and Resource Centre (new) | Nigeria | 362 | 16 species, legumes, grains and vegetables |
Borneo Institute Foundation (new) | Indonesia | 294 | Oryza, Vigna, Zea and Solanum ferox |
Seed Savers Network Association (new) | Kenya | 1000 | Pigeon pea, Bean, Sorghum, Finger Millet and Cowpea |
Ecogerm Farmers (new) | Cameroon | 985 | 11 species, Zea, Solanum ssp., Amaranthus, Lycine, Talinum, Brassica, Phaseolus |
The National Center for Applied Research on Rural Development (new) | Madagascar | 1045 | Rice |
GRIGADEB | Benin | 779 | 13 crops, tropical grains and legumes, 241 sorghum |
University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences (new) | Bosnia & Herz. | 252 | 15 species, 93 Phaseolus, 91 Zea |
University of Cape Coast | Ghana | 100 | Cowpea |
Institute of Environment and Agricultural Research | Burkina Faso | 1040 | Sorghum |
Agricultural Research Institute of Burundi | Burundi | 212 | Sorghum, beans, pearl millet, finger millet, maize, Groundnuts, pigeon pea, cowpea, okra |
Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (new) | Zambia | 454 | 9 species: Sorghum, maize, beans of different genera, millets, etc |
Institut d'Economie Rurale | Mali | 1601 | Sorghum, beans, pearl millet, Oryza ssp., maize, Triticum ssp., melon and fonio millet |
Ahmadu Bello University (new) | Nigeria | 406 | Cowpea and rice |
Total | 13,841 | ||
Lise Lykke Steffensen, Executive Director at NordGen and Åsmund Asdal, Coordinator of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, NordGen, will be on-site and available for interviews. Please contact info@nordgen.org to arrange an interview.
From the Crop Trust, Jaspreet Stamm, Director of External Affairs, will attend in person and will be available for interview on-site. Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director of the Crop Trust can be reached virtually. Please contact media@croptrust.org to arrange an interview.
Learn more from the 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 BOLD Project
BOLD (Biodiversity for Opportunities, Livelihoods, and Development) is a 10-year project to strengthen food and nutrition security worldwide by supporting the conservation and use of crop diversity. Led by the Crop Trust, in partnership with the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, the BOLD Project is funded by the Norwegian Government and builds upon the work and achievements of the decade-long Crop Wild Relatives Project (2011-2021). Learn more at https://bold.croptrust.org/
Categories: For The Press, For Partners, Press Releases, Svalbard Global Seed Vault