Global Seed Vault Opens in Norway

Norway's Svalbard Global Seed Vault opened for business today. The vault is a crop backup system in the event of a global disaster. The "fail-safe" vault will store duplicate seed samples from national collections in an effort to protect worldwide crop diversity. Built into the mountainside near Longyearbyen, Svalbard (a territory of Norway), the vault is surrounded by permafrost and designed to protect the seeds from wars and natural disasters. The Global Crop Diversity Trust is responsible for collecting samples and maintaining the vault.

Check out the statement on the opening of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault from Norway's Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg.

Check out these stories from the Norwegian government, UN organizations, and the U.S. government:

• Prime Minister Stoltenberg opens Svalbard Seed Vault from the Norwegian Office of the Prime Minister
• Svalbard Global Seed Vault: Arctic Seed Vault Opens Doors for 100 Million Seeds from the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food
• FAO applauds the opening of seed vault in Norway from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
• ARS Contributes Seeds to Global Storage Vault in Norway from U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agriculture Research Service (ARS)
  

Want more information? Read 'Doomsday' Seed Vault Opens in Arctic from the Washington Post, Svalbard Global Seed Vault from The Norway Post, and 'Doomsday' vault opens its doors from BBC News.

Check out the library's guides on agriculture and food supply for more information. You might also want to check out the library's guide on Norway.