Thousands of seeds ranging from wild tomatoes from the Galapagos to pumpkins cultivated by Native American tribes are being stored in a “doomsday” vault in the Arctic.
The seeds, which are from almost every country in the world, are being deposited in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault this week as part of efforts to guarantee the future of world food supplies.
They are being added to the 839,000 samples of seeds, representing 12,000 years of agricultural history, already stored in the vault on an island off Norway’s northern coast in conditions which preserve them for decades.
The vault provides a back-up to the network of seed banks around the world which store, grow and replenish thousands of varieties of crops – but which can be threatened by war, accidents and natural disasters.
The latest shipments include seeds from the US Department of Agriculture, AfricaRIce, a pan-African agricultural research organisation and the Nordic Genetic Resource Centre (NordGen).

Exterior of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, “doomsday” vault in the Arctic. Image by Crop Trust Press Office/PA Wire.
Seeds being stored this week have been collected in many countries, with the US deposit alone containing plants from around 150 countries.
Many of the seeds are wild relatives of cultivated crops, and as they are typically hardier and more resistant to adverse conditions they may be needed to breed and develop crops to feed a growing population in the face of problems such as a changing climate.
The US shipment includes 27 species of sunflower, wild carrots and two varieties of pumpkins developed by the Mandan and Omaha Native American tribes, and 14 species wild tomatoes including five populations of Slanum cheesmaniae from the Galapagos Islands.
Dr Stephanie Greene, seed curator at the US Department of Agriculture said: “Preserving crop diversity – the wonderful plant genetic resources that live and grow in our back yard – is an area where we can really make a difference.
“Working in partnership with the Crop Trust, the USDA is able to have a ‘back-up for our back-up’. We already have 69,000 accessions safely stored in the seed vault at Svalbard.
“The latest shipment adds nearly 20,000 more, from around 650 species, including a large proportion of varieties unique to the US.
“Almost 20% of the entire US collection is now stored at Svalbard. This partnership approach ensures these resources remain available for future generations.”
The seed vault is funded by the Crop Trust, along with the Government of Norway and NordGen.
The Crop Trust aims to ensure the conservation and availability of crop varieties in genebanks around the world and is raising a £550 million endowment to provide permanent funding for the key international seed collections that global food supplies rely on.
(Press Association)
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Arctic doomsday vault guards world’s seed supply
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