Too Many Genebanks?
This is the position of Cary Fowler, Executive Director of the Crop Diversity Trust.
According to Fowler, genebanks are like the economy or an IT company, and when you have too many of them the bubble bursts. Does everyone see that connection?
Maybe the question should be, does anyone see that connection?
This isn’t the first time Fowler has made use of strange and irrelevant rhetoric. Take for example his recent statements as board member of the American seed saving organization, the Seed Savers Exchange. In this case his comments provoked an outcry, accusations of lying and calls for his resignation. No one was interested in his ridiculous statements about how physically safe the seeds stored in the vault were. The discussion at hand was the terms and conditions of their deposit at Svalbard, and their use in scientific research and subsequent patenting. Fowler’s claims of security of the seeds were particularly irrelevant considering most of the seeds were available on request to anyone via the SSE, and in any case the terms of the deposit required samples be made available to other depositors via the SSE office in Decorah, Iowa.
Principles of Biodiversity
Fowler’s statements in this recent newsletter violate many of the basic principles of biodiversity, for example the idea that genebanks should not hold ‘duplicate’ deposits.
This is the argument often used by seed companies with regards to intellectual property rights, or for example lists of permitted varieties used in Europe and elsewhere. For these purposes, all varieties have to be Distinct, Uniform and Stable, the so-called DUS standard. While handy for identifying those varieties for patenting, this represents a severe degradation of biodiversity and excludes the possibility of special varieties adapted to local growing conditions, or landraces.
These so-called duplicate deposits referred to by Fowler contain very small and important differences that could be key to developing future crops in a world of climate change and environmental degradation. It’s also a logical measure to take with important varieties, to store them in more than one place for safety, and genebanks often trade deposits for this purpose. You can never store any variety too many places!
Basic Greed
The terms of the depositors agreement of Svalbard Global Seed Vault places these seeds under control of the FAO treaty. This guarantees availability of the deposits for research and patenting by other signatories and can result in a loss of rights by the depositor and country of origin, but gives no rights to ordinary people. It’s possible for one country to deposit the seeds of another, as has happened with the US depositing a large number of Mexican corn varieties. This has apparently happened without the permission of Mexico, who is not even a signatory of the treaty.
Fowler’s actions at the SSE and now this attack on the world’s genebanks, only stem from greed and his desire to see more of the worlds genetic resources taken out of the hands of people and local control, and put under the control of multinationals and the world’s more powerful nations.
Few nations and organizations have so far voluntarily placed their seeds in Svalbard. Now it’s time to put enough pressure on the worlds remaining genebanks, making them fail, and leaving them with no choice but turning their seeds over to him. After all, fewer genebanks means fewer jurisdictions and fewer negotiations.
Well it is certainly beyond my comprehension how there could ever be too many seed/gene banks unless certain people are worried about not being able to control the worlds seed….interesting.
Community call on political will- Uhm what!?
Why must there be politics or political will in everything we do in our lives?
Either Carey Fowler is Naive and a poor student of genetic history of saving Germplasm’s, or he is all out in for the greed and control.
I take my bet he is in it for the greed and control. Both go hand in hand as eggs to a hen.
It is non-sense to say numerous gene banks fail from a bubble pop. It is absurd to say no duplicate’s. If one bank fails via what ever reason and it’s stock is not duplicated elsewhere. Then all those genes are now gone forever. (Maybe this is what Fowler wants?)
Fowler has a backwards way of thinking!
None of the seeds in my collection and in the collection of Oss Bank will never be deposited in the global seed vault or be handed over to multinationals. I don’t believe in multinational-ism as in part just about every form of Government is corrupt beyond our comprehension.
The way I have understood preserving gene diversity is through individuals or a collaboration of individuals. Never have I ever ran across multinationals or Government it self really preserving diversity. Governments and now multinationals wanting to preserve diversity has been an after effect and not really the primary reason to preserve diversity
It goes to show greed and the power of control drives men and women a like into monsters,control freaks,lovers of money and other distasteful actions.
Carey Fowler is a ignorant man and anyone who thinks that banging up seeds in one place is the safest route is just as ignorant.
From SSE “whats new” section I found a sentence in there that is relevant.
“The Svalbard Global Seed Vault functions like the ultimate safety deposit box for biodiversity and global food supply preservation, storing duplicate collections of seeds on behalf of gene banks from around the world.”
I suppose Fowler just painted himself in a corner didn’t he?
After all didn’t Fowler bemoan “duplicate collections” in other gene banks and stated that would cause a bubble thus bursting and then loosing thousands of gene stock?
I still say Fowler wants SGSV to have all the SSE gene stock. It will be another photo Op for him and A. Goldman. Who knows how much them two will make on the side or under the table when that deals goes down.