LONGYEARBYEN, NORWAY
17 June 2026
©NordGen
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault opened its doors for the second time this year, adding over 15 000 new seed samples. This marks a major milestone for the Seed Vault. Its collection has now surpassed 1.4 million seed samples, each stored as a safeguard for the future of food and humanity.
- Since the opening of the Seed Vault in 2008, this is the 70th deposit and brings the total number of seed samples in the Seed Vault to 1 401 285.
- In total, 15 387 seed samples from 11 gene banks were deposited for long-term safeguarding in the world’s largest secure seed-storage facility.
- Burkina Faso and the Republic of the Niger became first-time depositors with support from the Benefit Sharing Fund of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Plant Treaty).
Located under permafrost deep inside a rocky mountain on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is managed by the Norwegian Government, the Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen) and the Crop Trust.
"It is highly encouraging that the number of seed samples safeguarded in the Seed Vault now surpassed 1.4 million. This deposit event demonstrates the continued importance of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and the strong international commitment to conserving plant genetic resources. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all new and returning depositors for their contribution to maintain agricultural biodiversity and ensuring future food security,” says Dr Lene Krøl Andersen, Executive Director at NordGen.
The largest shipments for deposit at June’s opening came from the Rural Development Administration (RDA) of the Republic of Korea and the John Innes Centre (JIC), based in Norwich, England. The RDA genebank deposited 6 000 seed samples of 50 species, including cereals, vegetables and legumes. The JIC deposited the entire United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland national oat collection (~2 600 accessions), about 1 000 accessions of a global barley landrace collection, and a few hundred wheat varieties.
Gene banks of Burkina Faso’s National Commission for Plant Genetic Resources (CONAGREP) and the Republic of the Niger’s National Agronomic Research Institute of Niger (INRAN) joined the latest Svalbard opening with the help of the Plant Treaty’s Benefit Sharing Fund (BSF). The BSF receives and uses the financial resources generated from the International Plant Treaty’s Multilateral System of Access and Benefit Sharing and other sources. It supports high-impact projects in developing countries to help ensure the flow of seeds and plant material from farmers to gene banks and back.
“First-time deposits by Burkina Faso and the Republic of the Niger, supported by the Plant Treaty’s Benefit-sharing Fund, show how countries can move from safeguarding diversity locally with farming communities to contributing to a global system that benefits all. As climate change puts increasing pressure on crops and farming systems, reaching this milestone at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault demonstrates how effective multilateralism can deliver tangible results for food security,” says Álvaro Toledo, Deputy Secretary of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
The Republic of the Sudan’s Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources Conservation and Research Center (APGRC) managed to send seeds under extremely difficult circumstances, through the support of the Emergency Reserve for Genebanks, managed by the Crop Trust and the Plant Treaty. The national gene bank, which has been rebuilding its collection due to disruptions from an ongoing civil war, deposited 982 seed samples of 19 crops. They included pearl millet, sorghum and other tropical, grain, legume and vegetables.
“Crop diversity conserved in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is the foundation for the agriculture of tomorrow. This latest round of deposits shows that many countries are committed to safeguarding the genetics we need for a resilient and productive global food supply. Whether it’s pearl millet from the Republic of the Sudan or oats from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, every crop counts in the drive to protect livelihoods, nourish healthy communities and achieve enduring food security,” says Dr Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director of the Crop Trust.
Global Conservation Effort
The June deposit featured almost twice as many samples as the February deposit and showcases a global assortment of crop diversity. Thousands of seed samples from gene banks across North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and Asia are now secured on the icy shelves of the Global Seed Vault.
From Africa, Burkina Faso’s CONAGREP genebank delivered samples of okra, maize, groundnut, hibiscus, pearl millet, rice, sesame, sorghum, Bambara groundnut and cowpea. Meanwhile, the Republic of the Niger’s INRAN delivered 204 seed samples of four species – groundnut, pearl millet, sorghum and cowpea. Morocco also shipped 30 species of chickpeas, lentils and cereals.
From Asia, RDA made a large deposit that included oat, a crop not yet widely cultivated in the Republic of Korea. It is considered important for the Republic of Korea’s future because of its high nutritional value and potential industrial uses. The Taiwan Province of China Agricultural Research Institute also deposited 320 seed samples of cucumber, soybean, tomato, aubergine and winged bean.
From Europe, Poland’s National Centre for Plant Genetic Resources (IHAR) gene bank shipped 1,000 samples of 15 species, including rye, oats, buckwheat, common millet, faba bean, maize, tomatoes, cucumber, melon and sorghum. The the Kingdom of the Netherlands Centre for Genetic Resources (CGN) gene bank deposited 660 seed samples of 43 species, including 160 peppers, 64 beans as well as other vegetables, legumes and cereals. The John Innes Centre’s deposit included Chevallier Heritage Barley, a once-commercial variety from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, last widely grown in the 1930s that has been rediscovered by brewers.
From North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, the United States of America Seed Savers Exchange deposited 18 species of vegetables, legumes and cereals, while Brazil’s Embrapa national genebank added samples of cashew tree, groundnut, castor bean, lima bean and sesame. In Brazil, lima bean is an important regional crop that remains underutilized. It supports food and nutrition security, culinary traditions, agricultural diversification and resilient family farming.
This second deposit of 2026 is yet another example of effective global cooperation in the effort to conserve crop diversity. We welcome the two newcomers to the Seed Vault community and appreciate the trust of the world’s genebanks in continuing to secure valuable seed collections.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault provides safe, long-term storage for duplicate seed samples from gene banks around the world. Seed collections stored inside remain the property of the depositing institutions. The Seed Vault does not distribute seeds. It provides secure, long-term storage so gene banks can recover lost material if collections are damaged or destroyed. The facility is under the responsibility of the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Nordgen is the operational manager of the Seed Vault, and the Crop Trust is recognized as an essential element of the funding strategy of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
For more information on the seed deposits: Svalbard Global Seed Vault Crosses Major Milestone - 1.4 Million Seed Samples Secured - Crop Trust
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