Description

In this week's special episode, I had the honour of speaking with Dr. Cary Fowler, the "father" of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

Cary has been working to preserve crop diversity for over four decades, he is the former Executive Director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, and has been described by former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon as an "inspirational symbol of peace and food security for the entire humanity". His work is a true inspiration for agriculturalists, archivists and environmentalists across the globe. 

We discuss: 

• What crop diversity means and why it's the most important natural resource on Earth
• Why sustaining crop diversity and saving seeds are vital as we brace for climate change
• The history and role of seed banks and why they are under threat
• How the Global Crop Diversity Trust is spearheading global efforts to protect seed banks 
• Why the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is the most important room in the world
• Cary's final words of wisdom 

Links:

• Cary Fowler (2016) Seeds on Ice: Svalbard and the Global Seed Vault 
• Cary Fowler (1990) Shattering: Food, Politics, and the Loss of Genetic Diversity 
• Cary Fowler TED Talk: One seed at a time, protecting the future of food 
• GoPro Cause Documentary 'Forever Securing World Food Supply with Crop Trust' 
• Seeds of Time Documentary