The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched seeds into
space as part of their initiative to develop crops that can withstand
the impacts of climate change.

The Arabidopsis and sorghum seeds are traveling to the International
Space Station staring November 7, 2022, at the same time when leaders
met at the UN Climate Change Conference COP 27 in Sharm El Sheikh,
Egypt, to tackle the environmental challenges that we are facing today,
including the impact of climate change on agrifood systems.

�??The world's millions of smallholder farmers urgently require resilient,
high-quality seeds adapted to increasingly challenging growing
conditions. Innovative science like space breeding of improved crop
varieties can help pave the road to a brighter future of better
production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life,�?�
said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu.

The seeds will be exposed inside and outside the International Space
Station for approximately three months and will return to Earth for
planting. They will be evaluated for useful traits to better understand
space mutagenesis and identify new varieties that can withstand climate
change.

IAEA and FAO send seeds to International Space Station
[www.fao.org]