The risk became more apparent earlier this month when a research facility near Ukraine's national seed bank was damaged in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, which has been heavily bombed by Russian forces. The cause of the damage is unknown and the Crop Trust organization, established by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, did not provide further details for security reasons. This incident highlighted the importance of protecting the seeds stored in Ukraine's seed bank, with only 4% of the seeds being backed up. Seed banks are like a form of protection for humanity, providing the necessary materials to develop new plant varieties that can resist various challenges such as drought, pests, diseases, and extreme temperatures. It would be devastating if Ukraine's seed bank was destroyed, as it plays a crucial role in preserving genetic diversity for researchers to develop resilient plants. Despite efforts to reach the seed bank director and obtain comments from relevant institutions, there has been no response regarding potential damage to the seed bank. They have become increasingly crucial in ensuring that there is enough food produced each season to feed the world's population of 7.9 billion, especially as extreme weather conditions become more common. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine, two of the world's top grain exporters, has contributed to rising food prices and the risk of food shortages, leading to protests in developing countries that rely on Ukraine's grain. The war in Syria has highlighted the importance of having a backup plan for seeds, such as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, which is the largest and most important seed storage facility in the world. In 2015, the Svalbard vault was able to provide replacement samples of wheat, barley, and grasses to researchers in Lebanon after a seed bank near Aleppo was destroyed. Overall, Svalbard holds over a million seed samples in a vault located in an Arctic mountainside. These consist of 4% of Ukraine's 150,000 seeds, which represent over 1,800 crops. The Crop Trust, based in Germany and the only international organization dedicated to preserving crop diversity, has provided funding to Ukraine for seed duplication. However, challenges related to security, logistics, and the impact of war and natural cycles make it difficult to expedite the process. Schmitz estimated that only around 10% of Ukraine's seeds could be duplicated within a year due to the need for planting, growing, and harvesting before duplicates can be extracted and sent to Svalbard. In an emergency situation, the option of shipping the collection to Svalbard without duplication is possible, but Schmitz mentioned that this may not be feasible during wartime. The Syrian seeds come from the Fertile Crescent, the region where settled farming is believed to have originated, and Ukraine holds a significant role in agriculture as well. "Agriculture in Ukraine has a long history dating back to prehistoric times," stated Grethe Helene Evjen, a senior adviser at the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food. She mentioned that many of the seeds in the country are one-of-a-kind. Evjen also mentioned that the ministry is prepared to assist Ukraine in replicating and storing all of its seeds at Svalbard, but has not yet been approached by Ukrainian officials for assistance."