Banking on the Earth's Food Crop Future

A growing number of efforts around the world are aimed at preserving some of the planet's most valuable food crops from war, regional disasters and climate change.

The preservation project that has perhaps received the most attention recently is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a specially constructed repository built into a sandstone mountain on Spitzbergen, an island in the Norwegian Arctic. Scheduled to officially open on Feb. 26, the seed vault will shelter up to 4.5 million different kinds of food-crop seeds from around the world.

Built in a geologically stable region of permafrost high above sea level, the seed vault will store seeds in moisture-resistant packets at temperatures of -20 to -30 degrees Celsius (about -4 to -22 degrees Fahrenheit).

"The seed vault is the perfect place for keeping seeds safe for centuries," said Cary Fowler, executive director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust. "At these temperatures, seeds for important crops like wheat, barley and peas can last for up to 10,000 years."

Based in Rome, the Global Crop Diversity Trust worked in partnership with the country of Norway and the Nordic Gene Bank to establish the seed vault.

Worldwide, more than 1,400 banks have been established to preserve valuable crop seeds. However, many are located in regions less stable -- either environmentally or politically -- than Norway's Arctic.

Preserving native food-crop seeds not only can provide a hedge against future local or global disasters, but could alleviate current problems such as chronic food shortages and malnutrition in places such as Africa, according to a new report from the National Research Council (NRC). The council has prepared three reports over the past 12 years that examine the benefits of reviving some of Africa's native food crops.

The NRC's latest report focuses on Africa's native fruit crops, many of which declined in cultivation as colonial powers brought imported species such as bananas, pineapples and papayas to the continent. Among the indigenous fruits that could improve Africa's food security, the report said, are balanites, a desert tree that can survive in the Sahara and produces date-like fruits and oil- and protein-heavy seeds; baobob, an "almost indestructible" tree that yields nutritious fruits and leaves; and butterfruit, a small tree that produces one of the world's most protein-dense fruits.

Governments and scientific agencies aren't alone in their desire to preserve seed biodiversity. Several independent groups, such as the Seed Savers Exchange, work to preserve what are called "heirloom" seeds, seeds for fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs and other plants that have all but disappeared from cultivation as industrial-style agriculture has made just a few commercial species the dominant choices for food crops.

While some of these groups offer heirloom seeds for sale, others function as virtual communities where gardeners interested in growing different crops can exchange information and seeds.