State of Seed

Could access to high-quality seeds be the secret ingredient to food security? And if so, what are the obstacles to getting there? On State of Seed, you’ll learn how better seeds could feed more people and help us fight climate change. Host Laura Rosbrow-Telem talks to a range of experts at the centennial World Seed Congress, tackling some of the thorniest topics. What is the science behind seed innovation and what are the risks and benefits? How consolidated is the seed industry? And how can we increase seed access to those most in need? State of Seed is a four-part series from the International Seed Federation, with production services by FP Studios.

Welcome to State of Seed, a four-part series about how seeds feed and sustain the planet in surprising and complicated ways. On this first episode, host Laura Rosbrow-Telem visits a Rijk Zwaan lettuce plant breeding facility in the Netherlands, watching seeds pollinate in real-time. She then goes to Rotterdam to attend the centennial World Seed Congress, an annual gathering of seed leaders. Here, she interviews Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Bechdol comes from a grain farming family, going back seven generations. She reflects on what the policy world misunderstands about agriculture and the key barriers farmers face in accessing quality seed.  State of Seed is a show from the International Seed Federation, with production services by FP Studios.

More than a third of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions come from food systems. So now, there is a big push to make agriculture more sustainable. And seed technology has an important role to play.   On today’s episode of State of Seed, we hear about the science behind three main types of seed innovation: traditional plant breeding, genetically modified seeds (or GMO seeds), and genome editing. What are the benefits and risks of these emerging technologies? And how could they reshape the future of food? Host Laura Rosbrow-Telem speaks with some of the leading innovators in the seed world, including Richard Harrison, managing director of plant sciences at Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands; Diego Risso, executive director of the Seed Association of the Americas; and Dan Jenkins, vice president of regulatory and government affairs at Pairwise, a U.S. startup genetically editing seeds. Olalekan Akinbo, Senior Program Officer of the Biosafety Program for the African Union Development Agency, also shared his perspective on genome editing during a panel at the centennial World Seed Congress.  Special thanks to Thin Lei Win, whose journalism helped inform this episode. State of Seed is a show from the International Seed Federation, with production services by FP Studios.

The seed market has become more consolidated in recent years. Four companies currently represent more than 50% of commercial seed sales globally: Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta, and BASF. But beyond these big four, there are thousands of other businesses developing new, diversified crops.  On today’s episode of State of Seed, we hear about the economic forces impacting seeds around the world. We’ll find out how they impact not only seed businesses, but also our food in general.   Host Laura Rosbrow-Telem speaks with key business leaders at the World Seed Congress, including J.D. Rossouw, Senior VP and Head of Vegetables Research and Development of the Crop Science Division at Bayer. She also talks to Marco van Leeuwen, ISF President and Rijk Zwaan Managing Director, as well as Sam Crowell, Senior Director for international programs and policy at the American Seed Trade Association.  Plus, Laura calls longtime farmer Andrew Brait, co-owner of Full Belly Farms, about what it is like to buy seeds. Full disclosure: They are related.  Special thanks to Susan McCouch and Jonathan Miller, whose expertise helped inform this episode.  State of Seed is a show from the International Seed Federation, with production services by FP Studios.

Two thirds of the people facing the most hunger are farmers themselves, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). We heard about this shocking reality during our first episode. And now, we will hear about solutions to this urgent problem.  On today’s episode of State of Seed, our last of the series, we will focus on seed access: how to get quality seed to those who need them most. Host Laura Rosbrow-Telem talks to a range of experts, including smallholder farmers, major seed organization representatives, and researchers. She speaks with Elizabeth Nsimadala, president of the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation and a lifelong smallholder farmer, as well as ISF Secretary General Michael Keller, who discusses ISF’s recently launched Seeds for Food Coalition, among other public-private initiatives.  Finally, we learn about farmer-led research from Sonja Vermeulen, Managing Director of Genetic Innovation at CGIAR (the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research), and Andrew Mushita, head of the Community Technology Development Trust in Zimbabwe. They spoke on a panel about public-private partnerships at the World Seed Congress.  Special thanks to Alessandra Fajardo, Jorge Fernandez Vidal, and Ebunoluwa Ijeoma Ajobiewe, whose insights helped inform this series.  State of Seed is a show from the International Seed Federation, with production services by FP Studios.