Ancient Crops Deposited in Arctic Seed Vault
Ancient Crops Deposited in Arctic Seed Vault
Oslo, 27 Aug (Prensa Latina)As a significant step towards preserving the worldâ�Ös most important ancient crops for future generations, the head of the United Nations agriculture agency, together with scientists and delegations from Peru, Costa Rica and Norway, today witnessed a ceremony during which potato seeds were deposited to the "safety box" in Arctic seed vault.
"In a few decades, our planetâ�Ös food systems will need to feed an additional 2 billion people," said José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), adding that "producing more and more nutritious food will be made all the more challenging as a result of climate change."
The potato seeds, as well as other wild potato relatives, were deposited by representatives of indigenous Andean communities from Peru, scientists from Costa Rica, FAO and Norwegian officials at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in the Arctic Circle.
The potato, originated in the Andes of South America, is now the worldâ�Ös third-most consumed food. Feeding over 1 billion people every day, the potato is low in fat with high protein, calcium and vitamin C.
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