This facility, nestled in an Arctic mountain on the remote Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, is designed to safeguard crop diversity and ensure global food security in the event of disasters.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is owned by the Norwegian government and is renowned for its ability to withstand both natural and human-related catastrophes. It currently houses over 1.2 million seed samples, making it the largest collection of crop diversity in a single location.
Ghana’s seed deposit was organized by the country’s Plant Research Institute, CSIR-PGRRI, and includes vital crops such as maize, rice, eggplant, and black-eyed peas. This initiative adds Ghana to the list of African nations, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia, that have made similar contributions to the seed vault.
The Crop Trust, which manages the seed vault, boasts seed samples from nearly every country on Earth. This move by Ghana is a significant step toward ensuring the long-term security of crop diversity for the benefit of all of humanity. Daniel Kotey, a Senior Research Scientist at CSIR-PGRRI, expressed relief, stating, “This, our very first safety back-up, provides a sense of relief that our collections of crop diversity are on the path to being secured in perpetuity for the benefit of all humanity.”
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault plays a crucial role in preserving the genetic diversity of crops, which is essential for global food production and security.
Source: BBC News