The project was built by the Norwegian government at an initial cost of USD $9 million and is run by a tripartite agreement between the Government of Norway, Nordic Genetic Resource Center ( NordGen) and the Global Crop Diversity Trust (Crop Trust). The Vault already holds the most diverse collection of crop seeds in the world, including hundreds of unique varieties of African and Asian food staples such as maize, rice, wheat, cowpea, and sorghum to European and South American varieties of eggplant, lettuce, barley, and potato. The seeds are sealed in custom-made three-ply foil packages, placed inside boxes and stored on shelves inside the vault. To optimally store seeds for centuries, they must be maintained at a low temperature and at low moisture levels, which slows the seeds’ metabolic rates, allowing them to remain viable for many decades. Currently, the Vault houses a diverse array of seeds from more than 980,000 crops, originating from almost every country on Earth. As such, it is designed to hold the seeds from some 4.5 million different varieties of agricultural crops, keeping them viable for regeneration for centuries to come. The Vault is a ‘fail safe’ back-up for the world’s seed banks, which may be vulnerable to war, civil strife, natural disasters, equipment failure and mismanagement. It is located deep inside a mountain on the island of Spitsbergen halfway between the Arctic Circle and the North Pole where the seeds are stored at 0☏ (-18☌) behind locked doors. Bjorshol / CC BY 2.0) Frode Bjorshol via a Creative Commons licenseĮstablished in 2008, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault was the dream of agriculturist Cary Fowler, an American scientist, conservationist and biodiversity advocate, and a small group of plant genetics visionaries who thought it essential to conserve the world’s crop biodiversity. The Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, Norway (Note: This image has been cropped.) (Credit: Frode. The Cherokee Nation is only the second indigenous group invited to store seeds in the Seed Vault: the Indigenous Andean communities in South America were the first when they deposited 750 potato seeds in 2015. They provide an opportunity for Cherokees to continue the traditions of our ancestors and elders, as well as educate our youth in Cherokee culture.” “These plants represent centuries of Cherokee cultural and agricultural history. “It’s important that we continue to distribute these seeds every year”, Ms Smith told the Cherokee Phoenix (more here). For example, last year, it sent out nearly 10,000 packs of seeds. The program has been active since 2006, and its popularity grows every year. The Cherokee Nation Heirloom Garden and Native Plant Site began its annual distribution of heirloom seeds to any Cherokee citizen who requests them starting on 3 February 2020. “The Cherokee Nation Seed Bank has always hoped to be able to deposit our traditional food crops into Svalbard one day”, added Feather Smith, Cherokee Nation cultural biologist. A seed pack containing seeds of an heirloom Cherokee corn.
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