PRESIDENT ’ S VIEW
“ Planting ” the Seeds for a Green , Sustainable Future
Crop diversity is an indispensable resource for addressing climate change or wars .
By Anthony Russo President , CIANJ
Food security in countries already facing severe levels of hunger will drastically worsen as the war in Ukraine will diminish global grain supplies and drive-up fuel prices . According to the International Rescue Committee of the Red Cross , Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine “ will worsen hunger in the world ’ s crisis zones .” The Food and Agriculture Organization index , which measures global food prices , is at its highest level ever , driven by the war in Ukraine .
Afghanistan , Yemen and Sahel , all facing acute food insecurity , will be severely impacted by global grain reductions and price hikes . East Africa relies on Russia and Ukraine to provide 90 percent of imported wheat , while Yemen relies on Ukraine and Russia for just over a fifth of its wheat consumption . Countries across East Africa , including Somalia , Ethiopia and Kenya , which are already facing the worst drought seen in decades , bring in more than 90 percent of their imported wheat from Russia and Ukraine . As Ukraine ’ s crop production cycle this year is disrupted due to the conflict , countries heavily reliant on grain imports from Ukraine are likely to be impacted in the coming year .
Whether it is from war , climate change or extreme weather events , agriculture is uniquely
vulnerable and needs to be safeguarded and protected from disasters . To this end , The Svalbard Global Seed Vault , owned by the Norwegian government , is designed to store duplicates of seeds from seed collections from around the globe . If seeds are lost as a result of natural disasters , war or simply a lack of resources , the seed collections may be reestablished using seeds from Svalbard . At its opening ceremony in 2008 , the then Prime Minister of Norway , Jens Stoltenberg — now the Secretary-General of NATO — introduced the world to this project located on a remote island in the Arctic Circle .
“ Earth Day 2022 calls for a commitment to preserve biodiversity .”
The opening of the seed vault is part of an unprecedented effort to protect the planet ’ s rapidly diminishing biodiversity . The diversity of crops is essential for food production , yet it is being lost . This “ fail-safe ” facility , dug deep into the frozen rock of an Arctic mountain , will secure for centuries , or longer , hundreds of millions of seeds representing every important crop variety available in the world .
As well as protecting against the daily loss of diversity , the vault could also prove indispensable for restarting agricultural production at the regional or global level in the wake of a natural or man-made disaster . Contingencies
for climate change have been worked into the plan . Even in the worst-case scenarios of global warming , the vault rooms will remain naturally frozen for up to 200 years .
The building of the vault itself has attracted much outside interest due to its location and its unusual engineering , security and aesthetic features . Its engineering allows it to stay cool with only a single 10-kilowatt compressor , which is powered by locally generated electricity .
The vault consists of three highly secure rooms sitting at the end of a 125-metre tunnel blasted out of a mountain on Norway ’ s Svalbard archipelago . The seeds will be stored at minus 18 degrees Celsius ( minus 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit ) and sealed in specially designed four-ply foil packages . The packages are sealed inside boxes and stored on shelves inside the vault .
Each vault is surrounded by frozen arctic permafrost , ensuring the continued viability of the seeds should the electricity supply fail . The low temperature and moisture level inside the vaults
will ensure low metabolic activity , keeping the seeds viable . If properly stored and maintained at minus 20 degrees Celsius ( about minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit ), some seeds in the vault will be viable for a millennium or more . For example , barley can last 2,000 years , wheat 1,700 years and sorghum almost 20,000 years . New Jersey maintains seed banks of its own , including projects to protect the Garden State tomato , for example .
Biodiversity is a key to healthy ecosystems and agriculture , and preserving these seeds is vital to a green , sustainable future in the Garden State and around the world .
If seeds are lost from natural disasters , war or simply a lack of resources , the seed collections may be reestablished using seeds from The Svalbard Global Seed Vault .
Photos : The Svalbard Global Seed Vault
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