Did You Know 13.000 Years Of Agricultural History Are Stored In A Vault?

In 2008, the Norwegian Government opened the Svalbard Global Seed Unit which is the largest secure seed storage vault in the world. It is built inside a mountain, on an island above the Arctic Circle between Norway and the North Pole [1]. It is one of the coldest places on earth with permafrost year round, ideal for storing seeds at a constant -18°C.​

The Svalbard Global Seed Unit safeguards duplicates of more than a million seed varieties from countries all over the world and is part of a global network of similar storage facilities. Today, about 30 crops provide 95% of human food-energy needs. The seed vault represents the ultimate insurance policy to preserve biodiversity and to offer options for future generations to sustain food supply and overcome future challenges.

[1] Duggan, Jennifer (April 2017), "Inside the 'Doomsday' Vault", Time.