Ghana has taken the initiative to deposit seeds in the Arctic Circle’s renowned “doomsday vault” with the goal of ensuring the long-term preservation of the country’s essential food crops.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is situated within an Arctic mountain on the remote Norwegian island of Spitsbergen.
It serves as a safeguard for more than 1.2 million seed samples, representing the world’s most extensive collection of crop diversity at a single location. This vault is owned by the Norwegian government and has been designed to withstand both natural and human disasters.
Operated by the Crop Trust, the facility offers permanent protection and conservation for food crops, with the aim of ensuring global food security in the event of catastrophic events. It has earned the nickname “doomsday vault” for this reason.
Ghana’s contribution was made by the country’s Plant Research Institute, CSIR-PGRRI, and comprises vital crops such as maize, rice, eggplant, and black-eyed peas.
It’s important to note that the Seed Vault managed by the Crop Trust contains seeds from nearly every country on Earth. Several other African nations, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia, have already made deposits in the vault.
“This, our very first safety back-up, provides a sense of relief that our collections of crop diversity are on the path to being secured in perpetuity for the benefit of all humanity,” Daniel Kotey, Senior Research Scientist at CSIR-PGRRI said.