CATIE Sends Its Largest Seed Shipment to the Global Seed Vault in the Arctic to Safeguard Food Security
The Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) has reached a new milestone in agricultural biodiversity conservation with its largest seed shipment to the Global Seed Vault, located in Svalbard, Norway. This crucial effort helps protect food security in Costa Rica and the region, ensuring the preservation of key crops against climate change, natural disasters and genetic losses.
A Vital Backup for Agricultural Biodiversity
This sixth and largest shipment included 1,100 seed accessions, featuring:
🌶️ 190 chili (Capsicum) accessions
🍅 290 tomato (Lycopersicum) accessions
🌿 620 squash (Cucurbita) accessions
These genetic resources, primarily heirloom germplasm collected from farms, markets and roadsides across Central America, play a crucial role in maintaining crop diversity and resilience to changing environmental conditions.
With this latest deposit, CATIE has now stored a total of 2,634 accessions in the Global Seed Vault, representing 42% of its entire germplasm collection conserved at the Germplasm Bank in Turrialba, Costa Rica.
The Global Seed Vault: A Secure Future for Seeds
Often referred to as the "Noah’s Ark of Plants," the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard is the world’s most secure and extensive seed conservation facility. Located inside a mountain in the Arctic Circle, it preserves genetic material at -18°C, ensuring long-term viability and acting as a backup in case of catastrophic events or the loss of genetic resources in national or regional seed banks.
A Collaborative Effort for Global Food Security
This initiative was made possible through the Biodiversity for Opportunities, Livelihoods and Development (BOLD) program, implemented by CATIE, led by Global Crop Diversity Trust and funded by the Norwegian Government. The program focuses on strengthening seed conservation efforts worldwide, ensuring that genetic diversity remains available for future generations.
By contributing to the Global Seed Vault, CATIE reinforces its commitment to sustainability, biodiversity conservation and food security—securing essential crops for farmers, researchers and communities worldwide.
📌 Learn more at: croptrust.org
#FoodSecurity #Biodiversity #Sustainability #Conservation #GlobalSeedVault #ClimateResilience #Agriculture #TheTropicsFoundation
Written by: Karla Madrigal
Edited by: Estefanie Ramírez.