It is a common belief that armies move on their belly. One of the wars in the ‘Hundred Years War’ that took place in Europe is known as ‘Kartoffel Kreig’ i.e., Potato war. This is because the two fighting armies had nothing to eat when the potato crop failed due to infestation with late blight. Consequently, the war ended without a victor or vanquished. In all famous wars, the strategy of the winning side has been to cut off essential supplies. Once the supply route, particularly for food, is disrupted, the enemy's army is left with no choice but to withdraw. During World War II, all supply routes to the city of Leningrad (now known as St Petersburg), were cut off by the Germans. However, the brave Russians did not surrender and the battle of Leningrad became one of the most famous events of the German–Russian war front. Incidentally, Leningrad had a large gene bank containing a wide range at varieties of wheat, barley, potato and other crops collected by the famous Russian geneticist, N. I. Vavilov. Although the inhabitants of Leningrad were hungry, they did not raid the gene bank. When a young boy was asked as to why the gene bank was saved without anyone taking away the seeds for their meal, he replied, “Man is mortal, but genes are immortal”. This is a profound statement that indicates the extent of the understanding of the value for posterity of the gene bank in ensuring sustainable food security.