The 2019 Access to Seeds Index was featured by over 450 international, regional, national and local media. These included mainstream and specialized media, such as seed magazines, agriculture news outlets and business and financial online and print publications. The media coverage increased compared to the 2016 index, indicating a stronger interest from journalists and the broader public in the seed industry and its role in developing regions. With greater focus on the importance of inputs and seeds for the sustainable intensification of food production and renewed attention for nutritious diets, this interest is likely to continue growing.
Here is a selection of media coverage that deserves a special mention.
The Access to Seeds Index team appeared on prime-time television in all three index regions. In November 2018, Ido Verhagen, Executive Director of the Access to Seeds Index, was a guest on ANC News’ morning show in the Philippines.
Kenya’s KBC One covered the Access to Seeds Index for Eastern and Southern Africa in March 2019, interviewing Sanne Helderman, Senior Research Lead of the Access to Seeds Index, and Jitu Shah, CEO of East African Seed, which topped the index.
The Senegalese evening news (RTS1) covered the Access to Seeds Index for Western and Central Africa in April 2019. The segment with Timothée Pasqualini, Data Analyst of the Access to Seeds Index, was broadcast across Western Africa (in French).
The index also received extensive coverage in top-tier newspapers, including a double-page spread in The Guardian Nigeria dedicated to the Access to Seeds Index for Eastern and Southern Africa. The piece was accompanied by an extended background article.
Companies themselves are increasingly promoting their position at or near the top of the index. East African Seed, which ranked number one in the Access to Seeds Index for Eastern and Southern Africa, used the AFSTA Congress in March 2019 in Mombasa, Kenya as an opportunity to highlight its leading performance. Read more
Value Seeds, which topped the Access to Seeds Index for Western and Central Africa, tweeted: ‘Wow! The first ever Access to Seed Index Ranking for Western and Central Africa, we came first among 23 seed companies.’ See here
‘We did it again!’ East-West Seed declared in a news item published on its website after finding out it had maintained its number one position in the Access to Seeds Index – Global Seed Companies as well as topping the first Access to Seeds Index for South and Southeast Asia. Read more
Moreover, lower scoring companies are sharing their performance because inclusion in the index already identifies them as an industry leader. Malawi-based Demeter Seed, which ranked 13th in the Access to Seeds Index for Eastern and Southern Africa, tweeted: ‘#DemeterSeed Ranking 13th in Access to Seed Index’. See here
Link to Overview media outreach Access to Seeds Index 2019
