Winners of the World Food Prize: The Men Behind the Doomsday Seed Vault in the Arctic

Cary Fowler and Geoffrey Hawtin, the masterminds behind the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, have been named the 2024 World Food Prize laureates for their groundbreaking work in preserving crop diversity and ensuring food security for future generations.

The idea of a global seed vault built into an Arctic mountain may have seemed crazy at first, but now, 20 years later, it stands as a crucial safeguard for the world’s food supply. The vault, which opened in 2008 on the Norwegian island of Svalbard, currently houses 1.25 million seed samples from nearly every country, providing genetic protection for over 6,000 varieties of crops and culturally important plants.

Fowler and Hawtin’s vision for the seed vault was born out of a concern for the future of agriculture in the face of climate change, wars, and other threats to existing seed banks. Their work has not only preserved crop diversity but also highlighted the importance of maintaining a plentiful seed supply in the face of evolving challenges.

The World Food Prize, founded by Norman Borlaug, will be awarded to Fowler and Hawtin this fall in Des Moines, Iowa, where the food prize foundation is based. The laureates will split a $500,000 award and hope to use their recognition to advocate for increased funding for seed bank endowments worldwide.

Their selection as World Food Prize laureates serves as a reminder of the critical role that seed banks play in ensuring a secure and sustainable food supply for future generations. As climate change continues to pose new challenges to agriculture, the work of Fowler and Hawtin stands as a beacon of hope for a more resilient and food-secure world.