When I first got invited to speak at the World Seed Congress, I could not help but wonder if I would not be a little misplaced at this conference as one of the only delegates from the livestock sector at such a momentous event for the seed industry. The 100th World Seed Congress hosted by the International Seed Federation took place from 27-29 May in Rotterdam. I learned a lot about the sector as an “outsider” and in this article, I will outline my key revelations and learnings throughout the event.
The Power of Seed
As an agricultural professional, I understood seed as being the starting point of all plant life and agricultural value chains, but the congress deepened my awareness of the power and influence of seed. Seeds are not merely biological entities. They wield significant power over food security, economic stability, environmental sustainability, and global trade. The World Bank estimates that approximately 26% of global employment is in the agricultural sector. Not only does the seed sector provide influential employment opportunities, but it also forms the foundation for millions of employees worldwide1 in an industry valued at approximately $69.3 billion.
Whilst I always understood the biological importance of seeds, their political and economic influence was highlighted throughout this congress. I learned about the importance and challenges of policy and regulation and witnessed the collaborative efforts from all seed sector stakeholders to address these challenges. There appeared to be abundant political interest and attendance of global political delegates at the conference to engage in these conversations.
The successful alignment of seed producers, farmers, processors, retailers, regulators, and all other stakeholders within the industry required representation from across the board at the congress - which made it an interesting and engaging congress to attend. Attendees included the King and the ex-Prime Minister of the Netherlands, the Deputy Director General of the FAO, leaders from the WTO, World Farmers Organisation, and international research, fertiliser, and retailer associations, to name a few. With almost 2000 attendees at this year’s congress, the influence of the seed sector cannot be understated. As someone new to the seed sector at a level as deep as the World Seed Congress, it was eye-opening to see not only the vast collaboration in the sector, but also the array of opportunities this sector holds in business, production, research, and development, education and training, technological innovation, regulatory control, logistics, plant breeding, and more.
Intellectual Property Rights in the Seed Sector
The congress had many exhibitors, many of whom were promoting advances in biotechnology. The uprising in biotechnology that the seed sector has experienced, launched it into the realm of intellectual property rights. The research and development which needs to be undertaken to produce new crop varieties is extensive, expensive, and time-consuming. Corporates are investing heavily into these developments and rely on intellectual property rights to obtain a return on investment. Patents protect their investments by enabling exclusivity to the production and sale of seeds. With the control of such a critical component of the food supply chain resting in the hands of private corporations, significant political implications arise. Monopolies or market domination limits farmer’s choices and increases seed cost. With the rising pressures of climate change and the global need to produce more food and fibre, the seed sector is required to innovate at a speed and efficiency like never before. The IP debate in the context of agricultural value chains is intricate and interesting, in the attempt to balance the urgent call for investment and innovation with the urgent need for improved and increased production.
The Seed Sector in 50 Years
With the 2024 World Seed Congress being the centennial event for the ISF, significant focus was placed on the future of the seed sector. An interactive “chaos” session saw 100 congress attendees from all generations and backgrounds work together in teams to envision the future of the industry.
Discussions about the influence of Blockchain technology on IP and information sharing, the potential of free trade in the seed sector in the future, the change in growing practices, and projected biotechnological advances, this session highlighted the aspirations of current generations for the future of the seed sector while highlighting that the future of the seed sector is uncertain as far as 50 years into the future.
Throughout this session, it was evident that the seed sector is constantly faced with the trade-off between the need for meeting sufficient, affordable, quality food production in the required geographies in an environmentally and socially responsible way – with the immense regulatory, investment, and R&D undertaking required to reach those goals.
Seeds as the Vessel to Growth and Life
Seeds are the beginning of all life. As Beck Bethdol of the FAO pointed out during the opening ceremony, “Seed security is food security.” The seed sector holds immense power, and with that great power comes great responsibility in the approach to the challenges this indispensable industry faces.
The International Seed Federation (ISF) facilitates the annual World Seed Congress to bring together all seed sector stakeholders and to drive the industry and the world forward.
If you would like to learn more about ISF and the World Seed Congress taking place next year in Istanbul, visit https://worldseed.org/.
Michelle Marais
References:
1: World Bank Open Data by the International Labour Organisation: ilostat.ilo.org/data.
Associated image Dall-E.
