Seed Vaults : The secure way of protecting food crop seeds

There are  more than 1,700 gene banks that hold collections of food crops for safekeeping in the world right now, yet many of these are vulnerable, exposed not only to natural catastrophes and war, but also to avoidable disasters, such as lack of funding or poor management. Something as mundane as a poorly functioning freezer can ruin an entire collection. And the loss of a crop variety is as irreversible.

It was the recognition of the vulnerability of the world’s gene banks that sparked the idea of establishing a global seed vault to serve as a backup storage facility. The purpose of the Vault is to store duplicates (backups) of seed samples from the world’s crop collections.

Permafrost and thick rock ensure that the seed samples will remain frozen even without power. The Vault is the ultimate guaranty for the world’s food supply, offering options for future generations to overcome the challenges of climate change and population growth. It will secure, for centuries, millions of seeds representing every important crop variety available in the world today. It is the final back up.

It is a fail-safe seed storage facility, built to stand the test of time — and the challenge of natural or man-made disasters. The Seed Vault represents the world’s largest collection of crop diversity.

The vault was established in 2008 at Svalbard - the place is halfway between Norway and North pole and an  ideal location to store seeds because...

1. It is a geologically stable location and humidity levels are low and therefore seeds don't get damaged.

2. It is above sea level and is protected from flooding.

3. It is a remote location and far away from human interferences but is still accessible. The vault is secured by four sets of locked doors, according to the Crop Trust. There are also the Svalbard archipelago's most notorious security guards to consider. Located about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) from the North Pole, the area surrounding the vault is extremely remote, secluded and home to a number of polar bears.

4.The perma frost offers natural freezing.

The Seed Vault has the capacity to store 4.5 million varieties of crops. Each variety will contain on average 500 seeds, so a maximum of 2.5 billion seeds may be stored in the Vault.

Currently, the Vault holds more than 860,000 samples, originating from almost every country in the world and is governed by International laws.

A temperature of -18ºC is required for optimal storage of the seeds, which are stored and sealed in custom made three-ply foil packages. The packages are sealed inside boxes and stored on shelves inside the vault. The low temperature and moisture levels inside the Vault ensure low metabolic activity, keeping the seeds viable for long periods of time.

The countries that store the seeds at Svalbard can reclaim the seeds anytime they want.

Source:

https://www.croptrust.org/what-we-do/svalbard-global-seed-vault/