Victorian farmer, Tony Gregson, and the Australian Ambassador to Denmark, James Choi, have deposited the first Australian consignment of seeds into the remote Nordic Svalbard seed vault.
Svalbard, a specially designed and built facility located 1300 km from the North Pole, preserves a wide range of crop seeds. It is operated by the Global Crop Diversity Trust (GCDT) and the Norwegian Government.
The Svalbard vault facility plays a vital role in global efforts to fight hunger and ensure food security while protecting the genetic base of food-producing plants for the future.
The Australian Government has agreed to contribute $21 million to the endowment fund of the Trust by 2013, and through AusAID has already provided $17.5 million since 2003. The Grains Research and Development Corporation has pledged to support Trust projects up to US$5 million.
The first consignment of seeds from Australia includes 301 pea and 42 chickpea landrace seeds (traditional farmers' varieties) which were imported to Australia many years ago. Some of the chickpea lines (Cicer arietinum) are now considered to be very rare.
Australia retains full control over its germplasm collection held at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. In the event of a catastrophe, such as a devastating fire, these seeds can be retrieved easily.
The box of seeds was sealed by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS). This will protect its quarantine status if the seeds need to be returned to Australia quickly for use.