Take a journey to the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, Norway with two fascinating documentaries. The “Doomsday Vault” as it’s often known, is a seed bank which houses over 900,000 seeds. It serves as backup storage to as much of the world’s cultivation as possible to prevent humanity from losing plant life in the event of environmental catastrophe. Get an in-depth look at the controversy of seed ownership versus the investment in the greater good from the illuminating documentary Seed Battles. Cary Fowler, American agriculturalist and former executive director of the Crop Trust, hosts.

For extra insight on the reasons behind the creation of the vault, watch the 60 Minutes special on The Doomsday Vault. Journalist Scott Pelley travels to the seed bank with Cary Fowler and discusses the world-wide attempts to reserve plant diversity.

If you’re looking for more about efforts to preserve and control the future of seeds and farming, check out these physical titles in the Music and Media Collections.

Seeds of Time is a feature length documentary following Cary Fowler and his continuing struggles to preserve genetic diversity. Here, he travels beyond Svalbard to save the world’s most vulnerable seed vaults.  SB123.3 .S44 2014 DVD

GMO OMG takes a provocative approach to the ethics of genetically modified food and the agricultural giant Monsanto. Filmmaker Jeremy Seifert questions what GMO food is and who will control food production in the future. TP248.65.F66 G6 2014 DVD

In her documentary The Future of Food Deborah Koons Garcia investigates patented seeds, GMOs, and sustainable agricultural options. Our 2-disc set features additional interviews, farmer portraits, and a guide to seed saving. TP248.65.F66 F8 2004 DVD

Please stop by and check out these fascinating titles! Find us in the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library to the far right of main circulation desk.

By Sarah Pavey