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Svalbard Seed Vault Welcomes Baobab, Hairy Eggplant and African Rice

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

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