Winners of World Food Prize are the men behind Arctic doomsday seed vault

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 global food security. The idea of creating a seed vault in the Arctic mountains may have seemed crazy at first, but now it stands as a crucial backup plan for safeguarding the world’s food supply.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which opened in 2008, currently houses 1.25 million seed samples from nearly every country. This concrete structure, nestled into the side of a mountain on the Norwegian island of Svalbard, protects over 6,000 varieties of crops and culturally important plants. Fowler and Hawtin’s vision has proven to be essential in the face of threats like wars, climate change, and political upheaval.

The duo will be honored with the World Food Prize this fall in Des Moines, Iowa, where the food prize foundation is headquartered. They will share a $500,000 award and hope to use their recognition to advocate for increased funding for seed bank endowments worldwide. As climate change continues to pose new challenges to agriculture, the need for secure seed vaults becomes even more critical.

Norman Borlaug, the founder of the World Food Prize and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, revolutionized crop yields through the Green Revolution. Now, Fowler and Hawtin are following in his footsteps by ensuring that future generations will have access to a diverse and resilient food supply. Their work serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving crop diversity for a sustainable future.