About the Seed Vault
The Seed Vault serves a humanitarian purpose and is part of the international system for conserving plant genetic diversity guided by the UN organisation for Food and Agriculturen (FAO).
Purpose, Operations and Organisation
We offer safe, free and long-term storage of seed duplicates from all genebanks and nations participating in the global community’s joint effort to ensure the world’s future food supply.
The Seeds
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault facilitates security conservation of seeds, comprising genetic material of importance for food and agriculture.
The History
The idea of having a global security storage facility in Svalbard, to house duplicates of seed conserved in gene banks all over the world began being discussed in the 1980s.
The Facility
The Seed Vault, carved into virgin solid rock was opened on 26 February 2008. The seed storage area itself is located more than 100 meters inside the mountain, and under layers of rock that range between 40 and 60 meters thick.