Svalbard Global Seed Vault – A site about seeds!

Safeguarding Seeds
for the Future

Svalbard Global Seed Vault

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault inspires world leaders to champion the safeguarding of the world's seeds and their contribution towards SDG 2: Zero Hunger

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault received the largest seed deposit since its 2008 opening on February 24, 2020. In recognition of the importance of this deposit, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg invited fellow members of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocacy Group to participate in the seed deposit, and then to attend the Svalbard Seed Summit to prepare and present an Arctic Call to Action on Food Security and Climate Change. The members who attended braved an arctic snow storm and temperatures of 20°C to cheer on representatives of 28 genebanks who were depositing their seeds in the Seed Vault.

Cherokee Nation safeguards its seeds in the Seed Vault

The Cherokee Nation – both its people and its tradition – were part of the 24 February seed deposit at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, making it the first US-based tribe to safeguard its culturally important seeds in the Seed Vault. The deposit included the Cherokee Nation’s indigenous maize, beans and squash seeds. The Cherokee Nation also has its own seed bank, which was inspired by the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and now provides seeds to tribal citizens who are interested in growing traditional Cherokee crops.