Representatives from many countries and universities arrive at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Longyearbyen, Norway, with new seeds in February 2020. The vault evokes epic imagery and controversy because of the symbolic value of seeds.  |  Reuters photo

Global Seed Vault controversial but important

Two-thirds of the world’s food comes today from just nine plants: sugar cane, maize (corn), rice, wheat, potatoes, soybeans, palm oil fruit, sugar beets and cassava. In the past, farmers grew tens of thousands of crop varieties around the world. This biodiversity protected agriculture from crop losses caused by plant diseases and climate change. Today, […] Read more