The Future of Seeds

Everyday, millions upon millions of people go about their lives oblivious to the fact that the very basis of the existence of life on earth—autotrophs, better known to the laymen as plants—are slowly becoming extinct and less biodiverse. But who would care that a species shrivels up and dies if it isn't on Facebook? Who notices if it isn't worth tweeting? Why even take time out of our lives to consider the consequences of plant extinction? Because the future of the human race depends on the future—whether positive or negative—of the more than 380,000 plant species known to exist today. And the fate of just a handful of those plants could determine mankind's future or lack of one.


A recent study by researchers at Kew Gardens in London conservatively estimates that 22% of all the world's plant species are at risk of extinction. That means about one in five plants could cease to exist within the next few decades. Even if it might be something as insignificant as a small pink flower, such plants could have medical or other applications directly applicable to humanity that makes them invaluable. The Madagascan periwinkle, for example, was thought unimportant until it was found to contain compounds used in cancer medications. Thousands of other plant species contain numerous genes that could be used for numerous different purposes. A gene from a tomato could save maize in Africa, an obscure sub-Saharan shrub could be the answer to cancer—the possibilities are endless if we preserve the plants we have.


However, that's the problem: how do we preserve our remaining plants, the precious foundations of life on earth? The answer is in seed banks. Originally, this entailed private stores of certain seeds maintained by farmers or hobbyists, but the new generation of seed banks aims at preserving all wild plant-life or all crops in deep freezers that are heavily secured and guarded against any possible disaster. When you consider the fact that everything else needs those seeds and their subsequent plants to survive, then the reason for seed banks is self-explanatory. Seed banks provide a way to survive climate change, any other man-induced disaster, or natural threats against our food supply. Need there even be an argument?


What could be said in opposition? That those paltry millions (the United States only volunteered $6.5 million [not even billion] to the Svalbard Seed Vault) go to wars and foreign aid instead? By preserving seeds, you preserve the future. Whatever life there is on earth 20, more or less 200 years from now, it will need food and energy to survive. Just as Cary Fowler said in a TED Talk in 2009, in 20 years we'll be seeing food shortages and mass starvation in countries like South Africa due to climate change, inadequate crop species, and population increase. Collecting, saving, and storing seeds, and subsequently researching them is the only way that we can insure the future of mankind.