The Seed Vault: Preserving Crop Diversity Forever

  • Year 2017
  • Country USA
  • Runtime 17 min
  • Director Daniel Sherer
  • Notes Filmmaker in Attendance
  • Topics

Film Synopsis

Amid a snow-covered Nordic landscape, a portal on the side of a frosty mountain leads to a long, dark tunnel and then a frozen door. Behind that door: the history of agriculture — of cultivation, selection and environmental symbioses— as told by more than 880,000 seeds. This is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the largest collection of seeds in the world and a safeguard against loss of diversity, insurance that human agriculture can adapt and continue to feed the world. This film follows world-renowned scientist Cary Fowler as he delves into the state of agriculture, co-evolution, extinction and the future of our food supply.