It is an invisible, apolitical band of dedicated researchers around the world who maintain these gene bank insurance policies. They walk in the footsteps of Vavilov, who died of starvation in prison during World War II, while his staff suffered a similar fate during the Siege of Leningrad rather than compromise the seeds they had saved for humanity.
Here are some members of that band.
A great group of people. There is no way to thank them enough.
We love you, too, Cary! I hope to meet you someday. At CIMMYT we have been showing “Seeds of Time,” will likely show it again during our upcoming Science Week. It’s moving, inspiring, beautiful…thank YOU for all you have done!
Denise Costich
Head, Maize Germplasm Collection@CIMMYT