2021 is the United Nations' international year for fruit and vegetables. In the last week, watermelon, strawberry and pumpkin seeds were added to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault - the world's largest resource for ensuring the security of biodiversity in agriculture.
Nearly 6500 seed samples were shipped to Svalbard
In this round, five gene banks from three continents sent close to 6500 seed samples to Svalbard; AfricaRice is based in Côte d'Ivoire, ICRISAT in India, Julius Kühn-Institut in Germany, SADC Plant Genetic Resources Center in Zambia and Mali National Gene Bank.
This seed deposit is a small but important step
- The variety of seeds stored in these gene banks contributes to the production of nutritious food and is the basis for adapting our food production to global climate change. This seed deposit is a small but important step towards meeting the UN's 2030 sustainable development goals, said Olaug Bollestad, Agriculture and Food Minister.
There are approximately 1750 seed banks in the world
There are currently approximately 1750 seed banks worldwide. These gene banks ensure that seeds are stored under ideal conditions and offer them to scientists and farmers.
-That's over a million seed samples
The seed vault currently houses over a million seed samples from 87 different gene banks. This makes Global Seed Vault in Svalbard the largest seed backup warehouse in the world. The pandemic did not affect the operations of the seed bank, and two more seed deposits are planned for May and October 2021.
Svalbard Global Seed Vault is owned by Norway
More information is also available on the website www.seedvault.no, where you will find an updated overview of all seeds deposited in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Svalbard Global Seed Vault was established and owned by Norway as a contribution to global efforts to protect agricultural biodiversity. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food is responsible for the facility, which operates in cooperation with the Nordic Genetic Resource Center and the international organization Crop Trust. The *NordGen seed portal page provides an updated overview of all seeds deposited in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
What is the Nordic Genetic Resource Center?
* NordGen- stands for the Nordic Genetic Resource Center. As the Nordic countries' joint gene bank and knowledge center for genetic resources. The Nordic Genetic Resource Center is plant, livestock and forest conservation, the guardian of genetic resources and an organization for sustainable use under and mainly financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers, with headquarters in Alnarp, near Malmö, southern Sweden.
