“The Access to Seeds Index 2019 report reveals that global companies were reaching just 47 million of the world’s 500 million smallholder farmers. That was less than 10% of smallholder farmers who have access, via these companies, to the improved seeds that offer resistance to certain diseases as well as some of the impacts of climate change, such as prolonged droughts and heatwaves.
Published by the World Benchmarking Alliance, the report evaluated the activities of the 13 leading global seed companies and found that most investment was directed at a small number of countries, mostly in South and Southeast Asia. A lack of access to improved seed stock and other new farming technologies is also the reason why crop yields across Africa are only 56% of the international average, according to the FAO. However, the answer to better access to improved seed might not lie solely with the large multinational companies.”
Read full article
