(Ecofin Agency) - Seeds, at the heart of food systems, support a $3,000 billion value chain. In the face of the challenges posed by climate change, this sector has become crucial to guaranteeing food security. Against this backdrop, Africa, faced with the need to strengthen its agricultural resilience and food self-sufficiency, is seeking its place in a constantly evolving global seed market. To achieve this, the continent relies on various partners, including the International Seed Federation (ISF), officially founded in 2002 but active since 1924. Its president, Arthur Santosh Attavar, spoke to Ecofin Agency about the institution's vision for Africa. 

Ecofin Agency: What is the International Seed Federation, and what model of agriculture does it promote?

Arthur Santosh Attavar:  The ISF is the voice of the global seed sector with a 100-year history. We represent 80 national seed associations, which in turn represent tens of thousands of seed companies around the world, ranging from family businesses to multinationals, equivalent to 96% of the international seed trade. ISF engages with international organizations and processes, advocating for plant breeding innovation, harmonisation of trade and phytosanitary regulations, and seed access, ensuring a diverse, resilient, and competitive global seed sector that benefits both producers and consumers.”

 The ISF promotes a model of sustainable agriculture that integrates the latest technologies, seed diversity, good environmental stewardship, and social responsibility. By focusing on the development of quality seeds, fostering global trade, and advocating for regulations and policies that are based on robust scientific information, aligned with international agreements, and harmonized across different governments, we aim to support the needs of all farmers, including smallholders, while ensuring food security and economic growth, especially in developing countries where access to quality seed is more difficult.”

EA: The African continent still lags significantly in global seed trade. What role does it currently play in the organisation’s initiatives?

ASA:  Africa is a constant focus for the ISF, with efforts to build and strengthen seed systems, trade frameworks, and access to quality seeds for countries across the continent. African nations suffer disproportionately from the impacts of climate change, and we are working with various stakeholders to help boost agricultural productivity and climate resilience in the region by supporting policy reform and encouraging private sector investment in seed development. Two concrete examples are the newly launched G7+OECD Joint Initiative to strengthen seed certification in Africa, in which ISF is an implementing partner, and ISF’s Seed Resilience project in Rwanda, which aims to facilitate access to high-quality seeds, together with training on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP

Seed Resilience Project Rwanda

EA: On the continent, smallholder seed systems dominate. Unlike other regions, African farmers mainly source their seeds from previous harvests. What importance does the ISF give to these traditional systems?

ASA:  Traditional seed systems are very important, especially in Africa where smallholder farmers rely on them. We support these traditional practices alongside promoting access to improved seeds, as ensuring that these systems can coexist with modern innovations is integral to improving food security and farmer livelihoods, as well as crop diversity. Ultimately, we believe that farmers should have seed choice to be able to select the best seeds to meet their needs.

 It is true, however, that much work remains to be done to deliver equal access to quality seeds in the continent. This is why we are working with Fair Planet to build resilient seed systems in Rwanda, through the Seed Resilience project. Our project will trial the latest varieties of vegetables, pulses, potatoes and cereals to identify those best-suited for Rwanda’s agro-ecological conditions. An estimated 84,000 farmers in Rwanda will then get training and access to high quality seed over the next five years. This approach has already shown success in Ethiopia, where 75,000 smallholder farmers tripled their vegetable production.”

EA: Despite the agricultural sector's significance on the continent, the African seed market is still in its early stages, attracting several multinationals such as Bayer, and ChemChina. How does the ISF position itself regarding this trend, which some say threatens the diversity of traditional seeds on the continent?

ASA:  With a changing climate, increased hunger, and ongoing conflicts around the world, seed choice for farmers, especially in Africa, is more limited. Multinationals and seed companies, in general, bring important advanced technologies and contribute to increasing seed choice for farmers. This means a farmer has access to the seeds they need to be able to respond to their context.

A dynamic private seed sector is crucial not only to provide seed choice but also to encourage private-public partnerships in Africa. Such partnerships are essential for agricultural research so that both public institutions and the private sector can leverage their complementary strengths to develop improved crop varieties that meet the needs of the local farmers and communities. Partnerships are also important to ensure these varieties reach farmers through extension programs and capacity-building activities.

The African continent is and will continue to be a driver of food security globally. With improved seed choice, they stand to benefit from the high-performing and climate-resilient varieties.”

EA: In your latest report, you highlighted a global call to build a collaborative and sustainable seed sector that offers quality, resilient, and accessible products for low- and middle-income countries. What role does the ISF play in agricultural research, particularly in Africa, and how does the ISF collaborate with regional research organisations, governments, or farming groups in Africa?

ASA:  ISF’s Seed Resilience project in Rwanda is a good example of how we partner with institutions and local actors to advance access to quality, resilient, and accessible seed products in low- and middle-income countries and how we promote innovations that address local challenges head-on. Through the project is important, we are conducting trials of different seed varieties to identify the best ones for local climatic conditions, demonstrating these gains to local farmers and building trust with them in the process. Not only do thousands of farmers stand to benefit from this project, but also local communities will be impacted positively by improved food security.

On a global level, our partnership with CGIAR, the world’s largest agricultural research partnership, aims precisely to address low agricultural productivity resulting from poor adoption of improved varieties and limited access to quality seed in Africa and elsewhere. By leveraging our complementary expertise and resources, our goal is to ensure farmers in low- and middle-income countries can access improved high-yielding varieties and increase agricultural productivity even in the face of climate extremes and other shocks, promoting sustainable and resilient agricultural practices.”

Graines de sésame

EA: In Africa, farmer networks circulate genetic material, fostering the development of varieties adapted to local conditions and crop diversity. Many organisations are concerned that hybrid and modern seed research may not suit these systems since these seeds cannot be replanted. What is your position on this issue?

ASA:  Preserving cultural practices and supporting community-ownership of seed libraries and banks, alongside promoting access to improved plant varieties like hybrids, are important. These systems are complementary – different farming methods can co-exist, and to the great benefit of surrounding communities. There are clear potential benefits to hybrid seeds, including higher yields and disease resistance, which many farmers in Africa understand, but the conservation of genetic diversity and traditional seed-saving practices, which have been passed down through generations of farmers, is also of high importance as seed systems develop over time. These complementary systems exist all over the world, in fact, and our members have built up capacity in many countries for seed production and food production in vegetable and field crops using both traditional and improved varieties.”

Interview by Espoir Olodo and Moutiou Adjibi Nourou