The Seed Vault opened for its 70th seed deposit – more than 1.4 million seed samples are now safely stored in Svalbard

This week, more than 15,000 duplicate seed samples representing a rich crop diversity, sent from 11 different genebanks, are being secured in Svalbard Global Seed Vault. The occasion will also mark the first and last seed deposit for NordGen’s two Seed Vault Coordinators on site.

In the third week of June, it was once again time to open the gates of Svalbard Global Seed Vault to receive duplicates of seed samples delivered from genebanks in Asia, America, Europe and Africa. For the June deposit – the 70th since the opening in 2008 – eleven genebanks submitted 15,387 seed samples for backup storage in the Seed Vault. This brings the total number of seed samples kept in the Seed Vault to more than 1.4 million. Among the participating institutions, two deposited seed samples for the first time: Genebanks of Burkina Faso’s National Commission for Plant Genetic Resources (CONAGREP) and Niger’s National Agronomic Research Institute of Niger (INRAN).

People carrying boxes.
Seed boxes unloaded during the seed deposit in June.

”It is highly encouraging that the number of seed samples safeguarded in the Seed Vault now surpassed 1.4 million. This deposit event demonstrates the continued importance of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and the strong international commitment to conserving plant genetic resources. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all new and returning depositors for their contribution to maintain agricultural biodiversity and ensuring future food security,” says Lene Krøl Andersen, Executive Director at NordGen.

The new institutions joined the Seed Vault opening with the help of the Benefit-sharing Fund of the International Plant Treaty. The Fund receives and uses the financial resources generated from the International Plant Treaty’s Multilateral System of Access and Benefit Sharing. It supports high-impact projects in developing countries to help ensure the flow of seeds and plant material from farmers to genebanks and back.

Rich crop diversity

The June deposit featured almost twice as many samples as the February deposit and showcases a global assortment of crop diversity. For example, Burkina Faso’s CONAGREP genebank delivered samples of okra, maize, groundnut, hibiscus, pearl millet, rice, sesame, sorghum, bambara groundnut and cowpea. The largest shipment came from South Korea's Rural Development Administration (RDA), which deposited 6,000 seed samples from 50 species, including cereals, vegetables, and legumes.

Man carrying boxes.
Seed boxes from RDA in South Korea being transported into the Seed Vault.

Sudan’s Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources Conservation and Research Center (APGRC) managed to send seeds under extremely difficult circumstances, through the support of the Emergency Reserve for Genebanks, managed by the Crop Trust and the Plant Treaty. The national genebank, which has been rebuilding its collection due to disruptions from an ongoing civil war, deposited 982 seed samples of 19 crops. They included pearl millet, sorghum and other tropical, grain, legume and vegetables.

First and last seed deposit

For the first time in a while, two Seed Vault Coordinators from NordGen were on site in Svalbard. The deposit marked both Fuad Gaši’s first as Seed Vault Coordinator and Åsmund Asdal’s last. Gaši visited Svalbard in February 2025 as a representative of a genebank from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but joined NordGen in early June this year as the new Seed Vault Coordinator. Asdal, in turn, began his role as Seed Vault Coordinator on 1 August 2015 but will retire after the summer. He considers it a great privilege to have worked on a project that so many people think is important.

Two men infront of a building.
NordGen's Åsmund Asdal and Fuad Gasi.

”The most rewarding aspect has undoubtedly been all the people I have met over these 11 years: genebank staff who work hard to produce seeds that they entrust us to look after, journalists and media teams who publish positive reports, and enthusiastic politicians who talk about the Seed Vault when they return to their home countries. And tourists who want to get married inside the Seed Vault or ask for a room with a king-size bed and a large bathroom for a night’s stay in the Seed Vault,” says Åsmund Asdal.

He believes that the Seed Vault has undergone remarkable development since its opening in 2008 and can undoubtedly be described as a success story.

”The Seed Vault, and the plant genetic resources it preserves, are more important than ever. And, not least, there is a need for a project that can demonstrate that international cooperation is possible in a world experiencing increasing conflict and discord between nations. My optimistic expectation is that more countries and more genebanks in developing nations will make use of the Seed Vault to preserve backups of their seed collections,” says Åsmund Asdal.

Facts – Participating genebanks

 

Svalbard Global Seed Vault

  • Svalbard Global Seed Vault is the world’s largest backup facility for the crop diversity stored in the world’s genebanks.
  • The facility is owned by Norway and operated by three partners; the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Crop Trust and NordGen.
  • The Seed Vault is a black-box long-term safety deposit of crop diversity open to all qualifying institutions around the world.
  • Ownership of seeds remains with the depositor and only the depositor can withdraw their seeds and open the boxes.