The Seeds of Tomorrow

Addressing climate change with the Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Climate Governance Malaysia

Webinar 6th of February 2025

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��Åsmund Asdal,

Seed Vault Coordinator,

Nordic Genetic Resource Center, NordGen�

• To sustain and increase food production
• To adapt to climate change
• To fight diseases and pests
• To sustain culture

Why conserving crop diversity?

Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) - the raw material for plant breeding and development of agriculture and food production

Svalbard Global Seed Vault vs. Climate Change

1. Plant Genetic Resources in the Seed Vault are crucial for adapting to climate change
2. The Seed Vault construction is artificially cooled and not vulnerable to warmer climate in the Arctic

• A steel container placed in Coal Mine #3 November 1984
• For storing backup samples of the Nordic seed collection

The history of storing seed in Svalbard

Svalbard Global Seed Vault - brief history

• Genebanks have lost seeds;
• natural disasters, war and conflicts, lack of resources, etc.
• Need for a global safety facility for seed conservation
• Based on the Nordic back-up solution in permafrost;
• An updated evaluation of options requested by FAO in 2004

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• Announced by the Nordic prime ministers in June 2006
• The Svalbard Global Seed Vault opened in February 2008

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• Photo from the opening ceremony on the 26th of February 2008

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Svalbard Global Seed Vault – �objectives and mission

1. Conserve security samples of seeds conserved in genebanks.
2. Contribute to public awareness about conservation and use of plant genetic resources.
3. Secure plant genetic resources in the ‘Public domain’

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Genebanks invited to secure their genetic resources in the Seed Vault�

• By depositing duplicate seed samples
• Free of charge
• No transfer of legal ownership
• Seeds can be returned to the owner only
• Part of long-term seed collections
• PGR should be available for breeding, research and education
• Extra safety sample in another location/ suitable gene bank

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Genebank manager Innocent Dossou Aminon from GRIGADEB genebank in Benin bringing seeds to the Seed Vault in February 2023 together with the Norwegian Minister of Agriculture and Food Sandra Borch.

Seed Vault Organization

1. Built and owned by Norway
2. Managed and operated in a partnership between the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food, NordGen and Crop Trust.
3. Seed deposits are handled and organized by NordGen
4. The Seed Vault facility is maintained by Statsbygg

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Overseen by the Seed Vault �International Advisory Panel (IAP)

1. Alwin Kopse (Chair), Federal Office for Agriculture, Switzerland
2. Axel Diederichsen, Plant Gene Resources Canada
3. Dagmar Janovská, Crop Research Institute, Czech Republic
4. Kristin Børresen, Graminor Breeding Company, Norway
5. Marie-Noelle Ndjiondjop, AfricaRice, Benin
6. Mohd Norfaizal Bin Ghazalli, Agrobiodiversity and Environment Research Centre, Malaysia
7. Oliver Oliveros, UN Agroecology Coalition, Italy

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Secretariate by NordGen

Observers from Crop Trust and the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

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• Nordic Gene Bank established in 1979
• Nordic Genetic Resource Centre (NordGen) from 2008
• Conservation and use of genetic resources for the Nordic countries
• Collection of 35,000 samples of > 500 species/subspecies

NordGen – regional gene bank for Nordic countries

• Solid rock (not a coal mine)
• 130 m. above sea level
• Permafrost provides -3-4 °C
• Artificially maintained freezing cold at -18°C
• Monitoring and surveillance systems

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The Structure

Three seed chambers:

• Each have the capasity to store 1,5 million samples
• Chamber 2 filled up in 2020
• Chamber 1 taken into use in February 2020

Seed deposit logistics

• Three Seed Vault opening occasions each year
• Gene banks provide accession lists and send seeds
• NordGen staff go to Svalbard and brings the seeds into the Vault
• Deposit confirmed to the depositing gene bank
• Seed Portal database updated

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Seed samples conserved in the Seed Vault 2008 - 2024

Malaysia: Seed samples in the Seed Vault:

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• 5897 seed samples
• representing 111 species
• deposited by 16 genebanks

Deposited from MARDI May 2024: 207 samples of rice

New deposit February 2024: 518 samples if Oryza, Solanum & Vigna

Seed Vault vs. Forest Genetic Resources

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• Can only conserve orthodox seeds
• Dedicated to Plant Genetic Resources
• Available for breeding and research

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• The ITPGRFA provides a set of rules for conservation and use
• Standard Material Transfer Agreement in use
• Multilateral System for sharing information

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Seed Vault vs. Forest Genetic Resources (FGR)

• Unclear distinction between PGRFA and FGR
• Especially in tropical, less industrialized agriculture
• Trees considered to be PGR in many countries/genebanks:
• intercropping, shelter and nutrients to food crops
• soil stabilization
• animal feed
• honey production
• production of charcoal, energy for cultivation and cooking
• pulp and fibre
• timber used for agricultural tools, fences and buildings

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The World Agroforestry Center (CIFOR/ICRAF)

Deposits regularly back-up seed samples in the Seed Vault

• in total 1990 accessions of
• 188 different species belonging to
• 105 different genera.

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A majority are tree species, with food and agriculture functions and characterized as PGRFA.

The World Agroforestry Center (CIFOR/ICRAF)

Number of accessions and species backed up in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault by the ICRAF genebank. Genera represented with more than 10 accessions included.

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ICARDA (The International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas)� - The first genebank requesting seeds to be returned

• Headquarter and gene bank formerly in Aleppo, Syria
• 116,000 seed samples deposited 2008 – 2014
• Withdrawals 2015, 2017 and 2019
• New genebanks established in Lebanon and Morocco
• > 100,000 samples deposited 2017 – 2023

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a success story showcasing the significance of the Seed Vault

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Seeds for long term conservation are dried and packed in watertight aluminum pouches

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Seed boxes are scanned for any unauthorized items

in the security system at the airport

Seed boxes are transported from Longyearbyen

airport to the Seed Vault

Sometimes the weather can be really harsh, -

Image from February 2023 when the road was blocked by snow

Labels displaying basic information �are fixed to the seed boxes

Seed boxes are placed in a designated

position in the seed chambers

> 3000 boxes of different shapes, colours & materials, coming from all corners of the world

Thanks for your attention