The Seed Vault currently holds 1,165,041 seed varieties, with capacity for millions more

The Ambassador of Mexico to Norway, Ulises Canchola Gutiérrez, delivers a deposit from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. CIMMYT is the ninth depositor in the Seed Vault in 2022, with a contribution of 263 accessions of maize and 3,548 accession of wheat.

“Professionally, I am pleased to carry out this activity that contributes to the conservation of genetic resources and guarantees food security of two of the major crops that feed the world,” said Rocio Quiroz, assistant research associate at CIMMYT. “When we prepare a shipment as a team, it is extraordinary because we contribute to the perpetuity of each accession deposited in the vault. Very few people have the privilege of doing so.” In 2020, CIMMYT was the largest contributor, providing 173,779 maize and wheat accessions from 131 countries.

Owned by Norway and managed in partnership between the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food, NordGen and the Crop Trust, the Seed Vault currently holds 1,165,041 seed varieties, with capacity for millions more.