Seed and gene banks

A gene bank is a collection of varieties and breeds, in the plant context often a seed bank. It is therefore a collection of seeds of cultivated plants and their wild relatives. The main goal of a seed bank is to preserve genetic diversity and make it available for use both now and in the future.

All farmers need seeds

All farmers depend on having a stable supply of seeds. Most farmers in developing countries do not buy commercial seeds, but save their own seeds from season to season. Because these seeds are not widely available and are only used by a few farmers, they can easily disappear if dramatic events occur in the area. As a member of a seed bank, farmers have a secure source of seeds at the start of each season. Through local seed banks, farmers also do not have to rely on expensive seeds from commercial seed companies. However, the seeds they put in the seed bank must be of the same variety.

If a crisis occurs and a drought or flood destroys farmers' crops, it is very important to get food production going as quickly as possible. With seeds stored in a seed bank, important seed varieties are available and ready to be used quickly. This avoids problems spreading to the next year, or people remaining dependent on emergency aid.

Examples of gene banks

  • The Nordic gene bank is called NordGen and is located in Norway and Sweden. They have both food plants, forest plants and livestock.

Svalbard Global Seed Vault

In the permafrost, 1,300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, lies the world's largest safe deposit box for seeds. It was opened by the Norwegian government in February 2008. Boxes of seeds from all over the world are sent here for safe and secure long-term storage in cold and dry mountain vaults. However, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is a storage and preservation site only for copies and duplicates of seeds that are already permanently preserved in other gene banks. The goal of the seed vault is to preserve the great genetic variation within the world's food plants. Every single seed sample has the potential to be of great use to farmers, researchers and breeders as they produce food for a growing population.

Sources

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