In an era where global food security is increasingly under threat from climate change, environmental degradation, and geopolitical instability, the preservation of agricultural biodiversity has never been more critical. Luis Salazar, Communications Manager at the Crop Trust, sheds light on the vital role of seed banks, particularly the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, in safeguarding the future of our food systems. In this interview, Salazar discusses the importance of storing diverse seed samples, the impact of these efforts on resilience against climate challenges, and the cultural significance of indigenous seed varieties. He also emphasizes the need for international cooperation and private sector involvement in conservation initiatives, while outlining the challenges and opportunities ahead. As we navigate a rapidly changing world, understanding and supporting seed conservation is essential for ensuring sustainable food production for generations to come. Excerpts;

Capital: Why is it crucial to store a diverse range of seed samples in facilities like the Svalbard Global Seed Vault?

Luis Salazar: Seeds do not last forever, not even in genebanks. And they are not safe either in one genebank location. Loss of electricity, a flood or fire, or worse, human conflict, may jeopardize collections that were collected 50, 60 years ago. And most diversity in genebanks, sadly, cannot be found in farmers’ fields or out in the wild anymore. That is why a standard practice for all working genebanks is to have back-up duplicate seeds in other locations.  In fact, per FAO genebank standards, all genebanks should have two safety duplicates in place – one in another genebank (preferably in another country), and a second one in Svalbard, which is solely a back-up location. 

Capital: How do stored seeds contribute to resilience against climate change and environmental degradation?

Salazar: Stored seeds do not contribute directly to resilience against climate change and environmental degradation, but if seeds are backed-up in Svalbard this means that the depositing genebank has seed available – and is willing – to share with users. And it is this diversity that can make a difference. The wealth of crop diversity houses the traits that can adapt our crops to present and future challenges. We are seeing wild diversity, distant cousins of our food crops, being used in breeding efforts to make our crops sturdier. E.g. drought resistant wheat in Morocco. Disease resistant potatoes in Peru. 

Capital: In what ways does the preservation of seed diversity impact global food security, especially in regions vulnerable to food shortages?

Salazar: Following up on the response above (#2), farmers now need to do more with less – they want higher yield but working with the same or less inputs – water, fertilizer, etc.  In addition, they need crop varieties that can withstand extremes – heat, drought, frost, flood, and a host of new diseases and plagues. Safeguarding seeds in genebanks is done for the purpose of sharing this diversity with users. It is evaluated, characterized and that valuable information, accompanying the seed, can, in the right hands, provide solutions for farmers – from breeders developing new and improved varieties, to providing more diversity that farmers can use directly in their fields.

Capital: Can you explain how seed banks play a role in responding to crises such as natural disasters, conflicts, or pandemics?

Salazar: Genebanks have a very specific role: to safeguard and make crop diversity available over the long-term. Within this very specific role, genebanks have responded to “natural disasters, conflicts, or pandemics” by providing seeds to farmers after these crises happen. We’ve seen genebanks ship seed packages to hard-hit countries or regions after hurricanes and floods, after war has torn communities to pieces. Genebanks have “rematriated” materials to communities that have lost everything due to natural disasters. 

Capital: What is the cultural importance of preserving indigenous and traditional seed varieties, and how do these contribute to local agriculture?

Salazar: Across the world, people have a close link to their foods. Specific crops are eaten during weddings or funerals, for example, or to celebrate other rites of passage. It depends on the communities, but we all have our food preferences. Black beans in Guatemala. Red beans in El Salvador. To one degree or other, it is part of our social identity. For example: indigenous communities in the Andes cultivate 200 different potatoes for family consumption; each potato variety is cooked in a specific way; some potatoes are used for other purposes as well, like coloring for clothing or ceramics, or for make-up. Small-scale agriculture needs diversity that can respond to their specific needs, to their realities. Landraces, the materials developed by the farmers themselves over thousands of years, are usually best adapted to those “local” realities. But from generation to generation, sometimes these landraces are forgotten and in time lost in communities. Genebanks have “rematriated” these old seeds back to communities. 

Capital: How does the availability of diverse seed samples facilitate agricultural research and the development of new crop varieties?

Salazar: There are more than 28,000 varieties of maize; 4,500 varieties of potatoes; 200,000 varieties of rice. Not all of them are meant to be eaten. Some are wild cousins of our food crops. But genebanks safeguard them and make them available because these seeds hold within them the traits that have improved – and will continue to do so — our domesticated crops. Crop diversity holds the raw materials that researchers need to develop new crop varieties. Simple as that.

Capital: What role does international cooperation play in seed preservation efforts, and how can countries work together to enhance these initiatives?

Salazar: Though our foods come from very specific points of origin, humanity across the globe consumes wheat, potatoes, rice, etc. And most of these staples have adapted to environments that are far away from where they come from. Many African countries depend on maize and cassava and beans and sweet potatoes, but these crops come originally from elsewhere. 

We live in an interdependent world. And food is a global common good. Same with crop diversity – under the FAO Plant Treaty, which has been signed by 150+ countries that also agreed that crop diversity is a global common good. Sharing food-related agro-biodiversity across borders for the benefit of all is in everyone’s interest. We all eat and we all benefit from this crop diversity, even if we are far from the genebank, far from the farmer’s field. We all have a stake in making sure this diversity is conserved and made available forever. Thus, all countries should participate in making sure we as a global community have a strong, effective and efficient global system for ex situ conservation. 

We once believed that a country could be self-sufficient when it comes to food security. Not even the United States, which holds one of the best and largest national genebanks, has the diversity it would need to adapt its crops. Big as it is, it probably holds 1/10th of the crop diversity found in genebanks across the world. The US, like India or Ethiopia, or China, or Brazil, or any other country, all depend on diversity found and safeguarded elsewhere. 

Our world leaders must understand that collaboration is the only way forward. A proper effective and efficient Global System for ex situ conservation means that each genebank does its part and maximizes the limited resources each one has. The Ethiopian national genebank need not have to maintain exhaustive collections of wheat and barley diversity, though these are important crops for the country; for starters, the largest and most important diversity of these crops is found elsewhere and international genebanks, like the one at ICARDA in Morocco, holds and makes this diversity available for the world. Instead, the Ethiopian national genebank can focus on crops that are of importance to the local community, which other genebanks are not conserving. Like teff, for example. Or coffee. If each genebank does its part, the whole will benefit.    

Capital: What are some potential future challenges that might arise concerning seed storage and preservation, and how can they be addressed?

Salazar: The biggest challenge remains the long-term stable funding of genebanks. All diversity has potentially traits that we might need – be it tomorrow, 50 years from now, or 200 years from now, or later. Genebanks must conserve as much diversity as they can because we do not know what, out of the 39,000 accessions of sorghum, or the 33,000 accessions of millets, or 23,000 of pearl millet housed at the ICRISAT genebank in India we will one day need. It could be that one and only one sample has the trait needed. 

Capital: How have advancements in technology improved seed storage methods and our ability to maintain seed viability over time?

Salazar: Science is evolving all the time. And that includes seed storage technology; researchers are continually improving ways on how to best maintain large collections of crop diversity, and do so aiming at or sustaining high quality standards. How? This needs to be asked to a genebank specialist and we suggest you reach out to the genebank specialists at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) or the Ethiopian National Genebank.

Capital: What policy changes are necessary to support the effective conservation of seeds on a global scale, and how can governments be encouraged to invest in these initiatives? 

Salazar: The global community agreed that safeguarding agro-biodiversity is a must. Firstly, countries must look within and evaluate whether or not they are doing their best to support their national genebanks. Secondly, they need to see how together they can contribute to the efforts that the international genebanks are doing to house and share the diversity for everybody. One way of doing this is contributing to the Crop Trust Endowment Fund, which was established to fund these collections in perpetuity. Unfortunately, the Fund has yet to reach its goal and without the proper funding, the risk of losing diversity remains.   

Capital: How important is public awareness and education regarding the importance of seed conservation for future generations?

Salazar: There is still a lot of work that must be done so people understand and appreciate the value of crop diversity. It is far away from our dinner tables; far from what people find in supermarkets and markets. But it is the foundation of our food security, of our lives. Without it we lose options for the future, we lose the ability to adapt and thrive in a changing world. Journalists can play a key role here in underlining the importance of genebanks and crop diversity.   

Capital: What role can private organizations and corporations play in supporting seed conservation efforts alongside governmental initiatives? 

Salazar: We all eat. We all should help conserve crop diversity. Moreso if you lead a corporation that has a direct link to agriculture, one that depends on produce to sell or transform and sell their products. These companies should be invested in making sure the diversity is safe and available today and tomorrow. The Crop Trust has been working now for 20 years with international and national genebanks, shoulder-to-shoulder with them in finding ways to make the most of the limited funding, to sustain – or work towards achieving and sustaining – the international standards of conservation. What the Global System lacks is funds, to ensure the work can continue long term. The Crop Trust invites private organizations and corporations to join us and the world’s genebanks in making sure humanity has safeguarded and available the crop diversity we all need, today and tomorrow.  

Capital: How do you describe Africa’s role in this and in fact also Ethiopia’s contribution?

Salazar: The Crop Trust has supported a total of 55 genebanks in Africa, both national and other, smaller genebanks found in universities, research centers, and NGOs. African nations understand the value of crop diversity. And a lot has been achieved in the past 20 or so years. But there is still a lot more to be done. One area that has lots of potential is the conservation and use of “opportunity” crops, known also as “forgotten”, “minor” or “orphan” crops. Such crops include millets, grasspea, Bambara groundnut and an array of traditional African leafy vegetables.These are crops that were once important sources of food but have fallen out of favor (and, oftentime, also market shelves) because of the lack of attention paid to them by researchers, breeders and policymakers — and also because other crops became trendier. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault welcomed a lot of this diversity from African genebanks. E.g. Nigeria, Mali, Zambia, Chad.

Ethiopia is one of the most diverse countries in the world, and unique crop diversity is found within its borders – from teff to coffee, to mention but two. Per our collaborations with the national genebank, we know there are a lot of committed and passionate genebank specialists that go beyond their duty to make sure this diversity is safe and available. Is it enough? Do they have the proper tools they need and the proper funding to continue their work? Is Ethiopia actively contributing to the Global System? These are questions that must be asked to your policy makers.