The Africa Report: Safeguarding Africa’s Diverse Food Crop Seed Collections Against Climate Threats

12 June 2024

Plant scientists from across Africa and around the world deposited seeds of their most important produce in the Arctic’s Svalbard Global Seed Vault in late May in a bid to protect global food security.

An African eggplant with nutrient-packed leaves, a hardy groundnut from Benin and varieties of okra, yam, pearl millet and sorghum from Nigeria, were just a few of thousands of treasures deposited in the international icy vault with one goal – to conserve seeds for a food-secure future in a changing climate.

The conservation of diverse food crops has become increasingly crucial as extreme weather and climate change challenge agriculture. Flooding in East Africa, drought in Southern Africa and dangerous heat waves in West Africa all devastated food production and are an important reminder of why we must safeguard the world’s agricultural heritage.

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