As the risks from the climate crisis and global conflict increase, seed banks are increasingly considered a priceless resource that could one day prevent a worldwide food crisis. Two in five of the world’s plant species are at risk of extinction, and though researchers estimate there are at least 200,000 edible plant species on our planet, we depend on just three – maize, rice and wheat– for more than half of humanity’s caloric intake.
There are roughly 1,700 seed banks, or gene banks, around the world housing collections of plant species that are invaluable for scientific research, education, species preservation and safeguarding Indigenous cultures.
“At a first glance, seeds may not look like much, but within them lies the foundation of our future food and nutrition security, and the possibility for a world without hunger,” said Stefan Schmitz, executive director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, an organization dedicated to preserving crop diversity for food security. “Well-funded, well-maintained seed banks are critical to reducing the negative impact of the climate crisis on our agriculture globally.”
We take a look at some of the world’s most important seed banks, whose goal isto safeguard biodiversity as it rapidly diminishes.
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Apr 15, 2022Liked by NE - nakedemperor.substack.com
We must exercise caution when digesting views printed in the Guardian, highly funded by those whose interests in plant genetics are far from altruistic. Gene banks and seed banks are not interchangable, though this article utters the words in one breath.
We must exercise caution when digesting views printed in the Guardian, highly funded by those whose interests in plant genetics are far from altruistic. Gene banks and seed banks are not interchangable, though this article utters the words in one breath.