![]() ![]() “Agricultural biodiversity – like that locked inside the potato seeds being deposited here today – is essential to facing these challenges, by helping us develop better, more resilient crops,” said Mr. However, climate change, agricultural modernization, land-use changes, and diseases such as potato blight pose a critical challenge to this precious natural resource. Feeding over 1 billion people every day, the potato is low in fat with high protein, calcium and vitamin C. The potato, originated in the Andes of South America, is now the world’s third-most consumed food. It is good to know that Norway remains prepared to take any steps necessary to secure the seeds, even in the face of new situations in the future.“In a few decades, our planet’s food systems will need to feed an additional 2 billion people,” said José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO), adding that “producing more and more nutritious food will be made all the more challenging as a result of climate change.”ħ50 potato seeds, as well as other wild potato relatives, were deposited by representatives of indigenous Andean communities from Peru, scientists from Costa Rica, FAO and Norwegian officials at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in the Arctic Circle. We will continue to monitor the Seed Vault and follow the developments in the climatic and natural conditions on Svalbard. The Seed Vault’s entrance tunnel was made waterproof which, together with the installation of a more efficient and environmentally friendly cooling system, has made the Seed Vault well prepared in the face of future climate change. With a view to preparing the Seed Vault for a wetter and warmer climate in the future, Norway has taken precautionary measures and carried out a major upgrade of the facility from 2016 to 2019. In accordance with the most appropriate techniques… The permafrost in the mountains surrounding the Seed Vault is certain to keep the seeds cold for a long time, even in the event of no artificial cooling. The seeds are placed in the chambers inside the frozen mountain and artifical cooling plants are keep the temperatures at a constant minus 18C. Even though Svalbard is affected by global warming, it is still expected to remain one of world’s coldest places. Norway is a quiet and safe corner at the top of the world, and a long distance from the seed vaults housing the original collections, which are mostly located in the Sothern regions. ![]() This location are in many ways a perfect location for the worlds seed backup. Svalbard is the Norwegian archipelago half way between the Norhern pole and Mainland Norway. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, function as safety depository for orthodox seeds, primarily of domesticated plants and their wild relatives that are important to food and agriculture. The world’s gene banks are the first line of resistance to the external problems that agriculture faces. The seeds contain the raw material that scientists and plant breeders might need to improve the yield, resilience or disease resistance of the agricultural varieties that farmers plant. Changing weather patterns cause changes in growing seasons and the environment, impacting the ability of today’s agricultural crops to thrive or even to survive. The United Nations predicts the globalpopulation will increase from the 2020 population of 7.8 billion to 9.7 billion by 2050. It allows our food crops to adapt to the climate and population changes that are coming. Protecting maximum amount of plants of importance to humanityĬrop diversity is the foundation of our food production. ![]()
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