NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 25 – Depositors from 21 countries have added over 30,000 new seed samples to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, marking one of the highest deposits since 2020, according to Crop Trust.
The organization, dedicated to conserving crop diversity, noted this year’s additions include contributions from institutions like the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines, Mexico’s International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, and the International Livestock Research Institute in Ethiopia.
Notably, the vault received first-time contributions from genebanks in Bangladesh, Bolivia, Chad, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, and Suriname.
The Svalbard Vault, a collaboration between Norway’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Crop Trust, and the Nordic Genetic Resource Center, serves as a critical backup for global genebanks.
Norway’s Agriculture Minister, Geir Pollestad, emphasized its role in preserving global food security through international cooperation.
Crop Trust Executive Director Stefan Schmitz underscored the urgency for crop diversity preservation, noting challenges from climate change and conflicts impacting food security for over 700 million people globally.
Lise Lykke Steffensen, NordGen’s Executive Director, added that seeds of “opportunity crops” such as okra, millets, and pigeon pea, vital for resilience against climate change, are part of the latest deposit.
In Kenya, the Genetic Resource Research Institute at KALRO holds over 50,000 seeds, supporting farmers and bolstering national food security efforts.
