How Cary Fowler Co-Founded the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
Lately, it can feel as if the world is falling apart, with war, climate change, and global instability rising—to name just a few existential threats. But the world is not ending. And seeds are a big part of ensuring our future.
In this season of State of Seed, recorded from the World Seed Congress in Istanbul in May, we will learn how seeds play a critical role in continuing life on this fragile globe of ours. And we will grapple with some of the seed sector’s biggest current obstacles, such as trade and illegal seed practices. We will also hear about U.N. negotiations on sharing the genetic information of seeds and why they are so contentious.
But for this first episode, host Laura Rosbrow-Telem interviews Cary Fowler, who gave the World Seed Congress’s keynote address this year. Fowler is a co-winner of the 2024 World Food Prize for co-founding the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Launched in 2008, the global seed vault holds more than 1.3 million samples of seeds—the largest number of seeds in one place on Earth. Fowler shares in rich detail how he and others created this novel sanctuary for global food security, as well as the importance of seed banks in preserving our biodiversity.
State of Seed is a show from the International Seed Federation, with production services by FP Studios.
--------
40:43
Coming Soon: State of Seed Season 2
Season 2 of State of Seed launches Friday, June 27th. This time around, we examine how seeds are playing a critical role in protecting the planet during this moment of global uncertainty. Recorded at the World Seed Congress in Istanbul, host Laura Rosbrow-Telem talks to a range of experts, including the 2024 World Food Prize Co-Winner Cary Fowler, who co-founded the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. She also speaks with trade officials about how they are navigating 2025, as well as negotiators of the UN’s International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture – which will face a crucial juncture this year. State of Seed is a podcast from the International Seed Federation, with production services by FP Studios.
--------
3:28
Increasing Seed Access
Two thirds of the people facing the most hunger are farmers themselves, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). We heard about this shocking reality during our first episode. And now, we will hear about solutions to this urgent problem.
On today’s episode of State of Seed, our last of the series, we will focus on seed access: how to get quality seed to those who need them most. Host Laura Rosbrow-Telem talks to a range of experts, including smallholder farmers, major seed organization representatives, and researchers. She speaks with Elizabeth Nsimadala, president of the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation and a lifelong smallholder farmer, as well as ISF Secretary General Michael Keller, who discusses ISF’s recently launched Seeds for Food Coalition, among other public-private initiatives.
Finally, we learn about farmer-led research from Sonja Vermeulen, Managing Director of Genetic Innovation at CGIAR (the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research), and Andrew Mushita, head of the Community Technology Development Trust in Zimbabwe. They spoke on a panel about public-private partnerships at the World Seed Congress.
Special thanks to Alessandra Fajardo, Jorge Fernandez Vidal, and Ebunoluwa Ijeoma Ajobiewe, whose insights helped inform this series.
State of Seed is a show from the International Seed Federation, with production services by FP Studios.
--------
27:24
The Seed Business
The seed market has become more consolidated in recent years. Four companies currently represent more than 50% of commercial seed sales globally: Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta, and BASF. But beyond these big four, there are thousands of other businesses developing new, diversified crops.
On today’s episode of State of Seed, we hear about the economic forces impacting seeds around the world. We’ll find out how they impact not only seed businesses, but also our food in general.
Host Laura Rosbrow-Telem speaks with key business leaders at the World Seed Congress, including J.D. Rossouw, Senior VP and Head of Vegetables Research and Development of the Crop Science Division at Bayer. She also talks to Marco van Leeuwen, ISF President and Rijk Zwaan Managing Director, as well as Sam Crowell, Senior Director for international programs and policy at the American Seed Trade Association.
Plus, Laura calls longtime farmer Andrew Brait, co-owner of Full Belly Farms, about what it is like to buy seeds. Full disclosure: They are related.
Special thanks to Susan McCouch and Jonathan Miller, whose expertise helped inform this episode.
State of Seed is a show from the International Seed Federation, with production services by FP Studios.
--------
33:37
Innovating Seeds to Combat Climate Change
More than a third of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions come from food systems. So now, there is a big push to make agriculture more sustainable. And seed technology has an important role to play.
On today’s episode of State of Seed, we hear about the science behind three main types of seed innovation: traditional plant breeding, genetically modified seeds (or GMO seeds), and genome editing. What are the benefits and risks of these emerging technologies? And how could they reshape the future of food?
Host Laura Rosbrow-Telem speaks with some of the leading innovators in the seed world, including Richard Harrison, managing director of plant sciences at Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands; Diego Risso, executive director of the Seed Association of the Americas; and Dan Jenkins, vice president of regulatory and government affairs at Pairwise, a U.S. startup genetically editing seeds. Olalekan Akinbo, Senior Program Officer of the Biosafety Program for the African Union Development Agency, also shared his perspective on genome editing during a panel at the centennial World Seed Congress.
Special thanks to Thin Lei Win, whose journalism helped inform this episode.
State of Seed is a show from the International Seed Federation, with production services by FP Studios.
On State of Seed, you’ll find out how seeds feed and sustain the planet. Though more than half of what we eat comes from seeds, most of us know very little about them—and how the sector contributes to our world and the future of food security. Host Laura Rosbrow-Telem talks to the innovative players advancing this vital resource, including leaders of multinational companies and NGOs, UN and government officials, entrepreneurs, national seed associations, scientists, and of course, farmers. Plus, you’ll hear about the key concerns keeping them up at night. State of Seed is brought to you by the International Seed Federation, with production services from FP Studios.
Ireland