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The Svalbard Global Seed Vault marks its tenth anniversary in February 2018. The seed vault houses the world's largest collection of seeds, and the collection includes duplicates of seed collections located in gene banks around the world.

– Considering the global political situation and the changing climate, it is time for seed supply to be higher on the agricultural policy agenda, says Jasper Kroon, general manager of Solhatt organic horticulture.

The purpose is to have a safety stock for the great genetic variation within the world's food plants.

– Thanks to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the gene bank in Aleppo, Syria, is being replenished. Norwegian authorities have invested a lot of prestige in the establishment of the seed vault, and the initiative is receiving great international recognition, says Kroon.

Seeds from abroad

– Paradoxically, Norway is completely dependent on vegetable seeds from abroad. When you buy a turnip in the grocery store during the winter season, you can be reasonably sure that it is a variety that has been developed in Norway, and usually the turnip seeds have also been produced in Norway. But almost all other vegetables you find on the counter, except for potatoes, have been grown using foreign seeds. Yes, chives are produced in Norway, but the seeds used in the production of chives are not Norwegian, says Kroon and adds:

– Both the global political situation and the climate are changing. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food writes on its own website that climate change increases the need for new plant varieties. Norway is among the countries in the world with the most northern agriculture. This requires varieties of vegetables that are suitable for our climate. But in Norway, as of today, there is no variety development within vegetables.

Losing competence

Norway is therefore dependent on foreign varieties of vegetables, and the variety rights are largely owned by multinational seed companies. Developing varieties suitable for the Norwegian climate is not high on their priority list, says the manager at Solhatt.

– The market for Nordic varieties is not large enough, and thus the breeding work is not profitable from a business perspective. At the same time, acquisitions and mergers among large seed companies are leading to an ever greater concentration of power over resources and expertise. So Norway is not only without variety development in vegetables, but also without expertise in this area.

– What should Norway do about this?

– I believe that Norway must initiate measures on a par with those being taken within cereals, meadow crops, berries and potatoes. But of course on a different scale.

– How can Graminor contribute?

– It is not certain that it is Graminor's task to contribute to this. I mentioned them in the post to give an example of a political measure that works. The measure has led to Norway having a high degree of self-sufficiency in seeds, meadow crop seeds and seed potatoes. Graminor was responsible for a number of Norwegian vegetable varieties that are still on the Norwegian official variety list, but in 2015 we at Solhatt took over responsibility for these varieties because vegetables are not their focus area. But they can contribute with expertise. After all, variety development within vegetables and grains has a lot in common.

Can increase vegetable production

– What will increased seed supply mean for the vegetable industry in Norway?

– Focusing on variety development within vegetables will mean that we can increase vegetable production in Norway, especially in Trøndelag and further north. You can get a greater diversity of crops and varieties with shorter growing times, and that can tolerate lower temperatures and the midnight sun better. We are seeing a trend where more people are starting small-scale horticulture where no one would think anything could grow. It's incredible what you can grow 600 meters above sea level or far north of the Arctic Circle. But it requires varieties that can withstand this climate.

– Is this particularly important in organic farming?

– Yes, this is important in organic farming because you need robust varieties. And it is especially important in cooperative farming and other forms of vegetable production on a smaller scale. Often these producers grow a greater diversity of varieties, and many varieties have hardly been varietal development. But I also think it is important for conventional agriculture in view of climate change and the changing global political situation. There is a risk in being completely dependent on foreign seeds, says Jasper Kroon.

Sources

Bondebladet – https://www.bondebladet.no/ytring/vil-ha-mer-norsk-utvikling-pa-gronnsaksfro/