The risk was highlighted recently when a research facility near Ukraine's national seed bank was damaged in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine. The cause of the damage was not determined and Crop Trust, a non-profit organization, declined to provide further information for security reasons. Only 4% of the seeds in Ukraine's seed bank, the tenth largest in the world, have been backed up. Stefan Schmitz, the executive director of Crop Trust, explained that seed banks serve as a form of life insurance for humanity by providing the necessary resources for developing new plant varieties that can resist various challenges such as drought, pests, diseases, and higher temperatures. He expressed concern over the potential destruction of Ukraine's seed bank, emphasizing the importance of preserving it. The director of the seed bank was unavailable for comment, Ukraine's academy of science chose not to comment, and Russia's defence ministry did not respond to inquiries about the damage. Researchers utilize the genetic diversity stored in seed banks to cultivate plants that are resilient to climate change and diseases. They have become increasingly important in ensuring that enough food is produced each season to feed 7.9 billion people as the world's weather becomes more extreme. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine, two of the world's leading grain exporters, has contributed to food price inflation and the risk of food scarcity, leading to protests in developing countries that rely on Ukraine's grain. The war in Syria has underscored the significance of backing up seeds, exemplified by the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, the largest and most crucial seed backup facility in the world. In 2015, the Svalbard vault provided replacement samples of wheat, barley, and grasses suitable for dry regions to researchers in Lebanon after a seed bank near Aleppo was destroyed. Overall, the Svalbard vault protects over a million seed samples in a facility located in an Arctic mountainside. These 4% of Ukraine's 150,000 seeds represent more than 1,800 crops. The Crop Trust, based in Germany and the only international organization dedicated to protecting crop diversity, has provided funding to Ukraine to duplicate these seeds. However, challenges related to security, logistics, and natural cycles, as well as the ongoing war, make it difficult to expedite the process. It is estimated that only about 10% of Ukraine's seeds could be duplicated within a year due to the need for planting, growth, and harvesting before duplicates can be extracted and sent to Svalbard. In an emergency situation, the option of simply shipping the collection to Svalbard without duplication has been considered, but feasibility remains uncertain during wartime. The Syrian seeds are from the Fertile Crescent, the region where settled farming originated, and Ukraine also plays a significant role in agriculture. Grethe Helene Evjen, a senior adviser at the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food, stated that agriculture in Ukraine dates back to prehistoric times and many of the country's seeds are unique. She mentioned that the ministry is prepared to assist Ukraine in replicating and storing all its seeds at Svalbard, but has not yet been approached by Ukrainian authorities.