seed deposit
This is the 70th deposit of seed samples in Svalbard since its opening back in 2008. Credit: NordGen

Since the opening of the Seed Vault in 2008, this is the 70th deposit and brings the total number of seed samples in the Seed Vault to 1,401,285.

In total, 15,387 seed samples from 11 genebanks were deposited for long-term safeguarding in the world’s largest secure seed-storage facility.

seed sample deposit
Seed samples being loaded into the Seed Vault. Credit: NordGen
seed sample boxes
All of the seed samples need to be labledbefore they can be safeguarded in the Seed Vault. Credit: NordGen

The June deposit featured almost twice as many samples as the February deposit and showcases a global assortment of crop diversity. Thousands of seed samples from genebanks across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia are now secured on the icy shelves of the Global Seed Vault.

Burkina Faso and Niger became first-time depositors with support from the Benefit Sharing Fund of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Plant Treaty). 

Genebank

Country

Seed Samples

Boxes

Crops

APGRC

Sudan

982

1

19 species, including 444 pearl millet, 238 sorghum + other tropical, grain, legume and vegetable species

CGN

Netherlands

660

1

43 species, 160 peppers, 64 beans + diff. vegetables, legumes, cereals

CONAGREP (new, BSF-supported)

Burkina Faso

370

1

10 species: okra, maize, groundnut, Hibiscus,  pearl millet, rice , sesame, sorghum, bambara groundnut, cow pea,

Embrapa

Brazil

24

1

5 species; cashew tree, groundnut, castor bean, lima bean and sesame

ICARDA

Morocco

1172

4

30 species of chickpeas (302), lens (268) and cereals

IHAR

Poland

1000

2

15 species of rye wheat (596) , oats, buckwheat, common millet, faba bean, maize, tomatoes, cucumber, melon and sorghum

INRAN (new, BSF-supported)

Niger

204

1

4 species: groundnut, pearl millet, sorghum and cow pea

John Innes Centre

United Kingdom

4602

10

Wheat, barley, oats and rye wheat (in total 17 different species)

RDA, National Agrobiodiversity Center

South-Korea

6000

7

50 species, cereals, vegetables and legumes

Seed Savers Exchange

USA

53

1

18 species, vegetables, legumes and cereals

Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute

Taiwan

320

3

Cucumber, soybean, tomatoes, aubergine and winged bean

TOTALS

15,387

32

 

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

NordGen is the Nordic countries’ genebank and knowledge centre 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

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

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