From Seed to Series
I love doing research for books. Finding things that can add to the reality of books or inspire new plotlines feels like a treasure hunt.
In creating the dystopian/post-apocalyptic world of Girl of Glass, finding ways for the human race to survive after a disaster was vital for world-building. The Svalbard Global Seed Trust is definitely a gem.
"The Vault is the ultimate insurance policy for the world’s food supply, offering options for future generations to overcome the challenges of climate change and population growth. It will secure, for centuries, millions of seeds representing every important crop variety available in the world today. It is the final back up."
There are currently 1,074,537 seeds in the vault, and there is room for 4.5 million different varieties of seeds. And while the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is the most well known and secure vault, there are 1,700 seed genebanks around the world. When plotting a book and thinking about how to protect the world for future generations, something as simple as seed preservation can fall through the cracks.
For the Girl of Glass series (and now the Heart of Smoke series), I knew I wanted to create a realistic plan for not only the beginning of the apocalypse, but also a hope for long term survival for those chosen to continue the human race. Having safe, varied, and adequate seed storage is a vital part of that plan. Want to know more about the seed vault? Visit CropTrust.Org
