A Syrian Seedbank and a Warming Planet

Ali Shehadeh, a Syrian seed collector, peruses his collection of rare genetic material including a sweet clover from Egypt, a wild wheat found only in northern Syria, and other ancient varieties. These are specimens gathered from across the hot, arid and increasingly inhospitable region known as the Fertile Crescent, the birthplace of farming. Mr. Shehadeh is part of the Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (known as Icarda) and works at the intersection of food, weather and war.

Icarda became a casualty of war in 2014 when trucks were stolen and generators vanished. More importantly a seed bank containing 155,000 varieties of the region’s main crops faced elimination. Fortunately before the war Mr. Shehadeh sent many seed samples, or “accessions”, to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway. Yet the Aleppo headquarters still contains the largest collection of seeds from across the region; 141,000 varieties of wheat, barley, lentils, fava beans and many more. Currently, no scientists are able to access the location due to the war.

The genetic resources of these seeds are increasingly important as temperatures have climbed by 0.2 degrees celsius per decade across the Middle East and even more dramatically recently. Droughts are more intense and more frequent. In many parts of the Middle East the future of agriculture is becoming pretty bleak. Mr. Shehadeh believes in tapping the riches of wild crop ancestors, which are often hardy and better adapted to harsh climates. Cherished traits now include resistance to pests, blistering winds and the ability to endure in intensely hot summers.

Wheat is a staple of the Middle Eastern diet. Icarda’s collection houses seeds that have sustained the people of the Middle East for centuries, including 14,700 varieties of bread wheat, 32,000 varieties of barley, and 16,000 varieties of chickpea (key for falafel). In Sudan, Icarda has introduced a wheat variety it hopes will be resistant to drought and heat. It is breeding a fava bean variety that can withstand a parasite and lentils that can mature in short growing seasons. This all will be useful not just for the Middle East, but as hot, dry summers become familiar to many other parts, it may be a secret treasure for the world.

Peace @ClumsySilverDad

Find more information at:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/13/climate/syria-seed-bank.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
https://www.croptrust.org/our-work/svalbard-global-seed-vault/