Ukraine has deposited 773 seed samples representing ten agricultural crops in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway. The deposit took place on October 13, 2026, with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Union. The shipment included triticale, barley, buckwheat, millet, peas, white lupin, common vetch, mustard, alfalfa and clover. The initiative aims to preserve valuable Ukrainian plant varieties and genetic diversity for future generations.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault serves as a secure backup repository, allowing countries to store duplicates of their national seed collections. If original samples are lost due to war, natural disasters or other emergencies, the backup material can help restore them. The facility currently holds more than 1.4 million seed samples from over 130 genebanks worldwide. This is Ukraine's second deposit and its first since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukraine's national genebank is among the largest in the world. Its collection includes more than 154,300 samples representing 2,002 plant species, of which approximately 56,900 are of Ukrainian origin. Researchers use this genetic material to develop new crop varieties, improve yields and strengthen resistance to drought, diseases and climate change. Together, Ukraine's two deposits in Svalbard represent approximately 10% of the national collection.
The war has placed parts of Ukraine's genebank infrastructure at risk. With international support, 51,000 seed samples were relocated to western Ukraine, and a dedicated backup storage centre opened in November 2025. The deposit in Norway represents another step towards protecting the country's agricultural heritage. For Ukrainian agriculture, this matters not only for preserving scientific collections but also for future crop breeding and the development of varieties better adapted to changing climatic conditions.
Original source: FAO and the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine — announcement dated October 13, 2026.