Global seed companies target climate change, but miss 90 percent of world’s smallholder farmers
Five hundred million smallholder farmers worldwide account for 80 percent of global food production, yet 90 percent of them cannot access the latest seed varieties to cope with changing environments and help tackle hunger, reflecting slow progress by global seed producers to reach a core market, according to a new study. Published by the Amsterdam-based Access to Seeds Foundation, the report evaluates 13 leading global seed companies to highlight where the industry can do more to raise smallholder farmer productivity, improve nutrition and mitigate the effects of climate change through the development and dissemination of quality seed. While global seed companies are adapting their products to combat the impact of climate change and address nutrition needs, only one — Thailand’s East-West Seed — has a smallholder-centric approach and customer base made up almost entirely of smallholders. Privately-held East-West Seed leads the way in reaching this market in Asia, but increasingly in Africa too. It’s followed by Switzerland’s Syngenta AG and Germany’s Bayer AG. (PR Newswire)
Read newsletter
