Protect Food Security... K-Seed Preservation Drawing Global Attention

Rural Development Administration Agricultural Genetic Resources Center Preserves 27,325 Seed Samples from Around the World
Advanced Storage Facilities in Jeonju and Suwon
Can Withstand Earthquakes up to Magnitude 7.0

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] The Korean-style seed preservation project is gaining momentum. With the rise in international grain prices, "food security" has emerged as a global issue, and securing genetic resources, the fundamental materials of superior varieties, has become a matter of worldwide interest.

According to the Rural Development Administration (RDA) Agricultural Genetic Resources Center on the 21st, the center was designated as a global seed safety duplication storage facility by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2008 and is currently preserving a total of 27,325 seed samples deposited by other countries and institutions. The RDA renewed the genetic resource safety duplication preservation agreement with the World Vegetable Center last November and will provide a service to gradually preserve all 456 species and 65,000 samples of the World Vegetable Center’s genetic resources safely and long-term at the Agricultural Genetic Resources Center by 2024. Last year, the center received 7,512 samples of 87 species of genetic resources packed in 18 black boxes sent from the World Vegetable Center and stored them in December at the RDA Agricultural Genetic Resources Center’s central branch in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. Going forward, the center will continue to distribute 30 genetic resource samples annually free of charge.

The center has advanced storage facilities meeting international standards in two locations: Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, and Suwon, Gyeonggi-do. To maintain temperature and humidity, the walls are designed with triple layers and the floors with five layers. The facilities can withstand earthquakes up to magnitude 7.0 on the Richter scale and are equipped with emergency generators to prepare for power outages. The storage is divided into medium-term storage (30 years), long-term storage (100 years), and special storage (semi-permanent) based on preservation periods.

These storage facilities preserve not only overseas genetic resources but also 3083 species and 266,649 samples of Korean plant genetic resources as of January 1, ranking fifth worldwide.

The Rural Development Administration also ensures the safe preservation of Korean genetic resources by depositing native seeds in the International Seed Vault located in the Svalbard archipelago under Norwegian sovereignty. In 2008, Korea became the first Asian country to deposit 33 native seed species totaling 13,185 samples, and in October last year, it deposited a second batch of 18 species totaling 10,000 samples, preserving a total of 44 species and 23,185 samples. The Svalbard International Seed Vault has three long-term storage facilities at the end of a 130-meter mountain tunnel, capable of preserving 4.5 million samples, and is designed to withstand various disasters and calamities. Currently, about 1 million seed samples sent from countries around the world are stored there.

Research and development (R&D) to secure genomic big data is also identified as a key future task. Korea possesses about 8,073 plant resources (excluding microalgae), but the amount of genomic big data secured so far is less than 1% compared to the number of resources held.

Accordingly, related ministries including the Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Korea Forest Service, and Rural Development Administration deliberated and approved the "Korean Peninsula Native Plant Genetic Resource Life Information Big Data Construction Strategy" at the Science and Technology Ministers’ Meeting last month. This strategy aims to secure diversity and genomic big data of native plants such as endangered and indigenous species, promote localization of plant materials and bio-data independence, and establish cooperative research plans to facilitate bio-industrial utilization. The related ministries also specified three major strategies: ▲ expanding the current 8,073 species of indigenous plants, including native and rare species, to over 9,700 species by 2030 through collection ▲ selecting 1,441 species and 320,000 samples of native plants with high economic and ecological value and building large-scale genomic big data to provide customized genomic information ▲ fostering experts specialized in plant big data utilization and supporting research and industrial sites.

Heo Tae-woong, Administrator of the Rural Development Administration, explained, "If export restrictions by major agricultural product exporting countries reoccur and expand due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, food security will inevitably be shaken, and the foundation of agriculture responsible for food security is seeds," adding, "Having diverse genetic resources is the best measure to prepare for future climate change, pests, diseases, and epidemics."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.