| Indian Seed Vault | |
|---|---|
  Location of Chang La in Ladakh
 Indian Seed Vault (India)
| |
| General information | |
| Type | Seed bank |
| Location | Himalaya |
| Town or city | Chang La, Ladakh |
| Country | India |
| Coordinates | 34°02′49″N 77°55′50″E / 34.04704°N 77.93054°ECoordinates: 34°02′49″N 77°55′50″E / 34.04704°N 77.93054°E |
| Elevation | 17,300 feet |
| Opened | 2010 |
| Owner | Indian Government |
The Indian Seed Vault is a secure seed bank located in a high-altitude mountain pass on the Chang La in Ladakh, India. It was built in 2010 jointly by the Defence Institute of High Altitude Research and the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, and is the second largest seed bank in the world.
History
The Beej Bachao Andolan, or "Save the Seeds Movement," began in the late 1980s in Uttarakhand, India, led by Vijay Jardhari. Seed banks were created to store native varieties of seeds.
Seed storage
The vault stores over 10,000 seeds and 200 plant species. These seeds include apricots, barley, cabbage, carrots, radish, potatoes, tomatoes, rice, and wheat, chosen based on qualities such yield or resistance to temperature, pests and humidity.