As war rages, Ukraine’s vast seed bank is in risk of being lost

The genetic code for nearly 2,000 crops is in danger of being irreversibly lost in underground vaults near Ukraine’s battlefields.

 

According to Crop Trust, a non-profit organisation set up by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the issue was brought into sharp light earlier this month when a research facility near Ukraine’s national seed bank was damaged.

 

Both the facility and Ukraine’s seed bank are located in Kharkiv, a city in northeastern Ukraine that has been heavily bombed by Russian forces.

 

It was a close call. Only 4% of the seeds in Ukraine’s storage, which is the world’s tenth largest, have been backed up.

 

‘Seed banks are a form of human life insurance. They give the raw materials for developing new plant kinds that are drought-resistant, pest-resistant, disease-resistant, and tolerant of higher temperatures,’ Crop Trust’s executive director, Stefan Schmitz, told Reuters.

 

‘The destruction of Ukraine’s seed bank would be a devastating loss.’

 

The director of the seed bank was unavailable for comment, the Ukrainian Academy of Science declined to comment, and Russia’s defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the damage.

 

To produce plants that can endure climate change or illness, researchers rely on the rich genetic material stored in seed banks.

 

As the world’s weather gets more harsh, they have become increasingly important in ensuring that enough food is produced each season to feed 7.9 billion people.

 

1. At the same time, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the world’s third and fourth largest grain exporters, has pushed up food prices and increased the risk of food scarcity, with demonstrations erupting in developing countries that rely on Ukraine’s grain.