Growing with our FARMERS

“40 Farmers, 40 Years of East-West Seed” is a compilation of real-life stories from farmers who have grown alongside us. Each story highlights the compelling challenges and successes experienced by individual farmers, their families, and communities.

The book emphasizes the transformative power of farming knowledge and education. It highlights the many farmers who began with limited knowledge and experience but improved their yields and income through training and technical support from East-West Seed.

Ko Kyaw Min Naing quit his career in furniture manufacturing in Yangon, Myanmar. As work options started to dwindle and his income ran out, Ko and his wife made the difficult decision that they and their baby daughter would have to head out of Myanmar to his wife’s home village near Yenangyaung, in the Magway region, nearly eight hours’ drive away.

Being able to get advice from EWS, he says, has also been key, especially for him as a first-time farmer. It helped him to better understand fertilizing schedules, ways to fight of pests and importantly, he says also that farming means learning with each harvest.

“So far I have been very happy to have had success with this because I didn’t plan that farming was going to be my career, after leaving Yangon. I always thought that I would be working in furniture making, but now that things are going better I can see that farming can be a good way to build a new career and for me to take care of my wife and child and I hope that as my daughter grows up that I will be able to send her to premium schools,” he says.

The book also talks of the importance of our collaboration and partnerships. East-West Seed has worked closely with local governments, NGOs, and other organizations to improve seed systems and promote sustainable agriculture. These collaborations have enabled us to reach more farmers and make a more significant impact on local communities.

“40 Farmers, 40 Years of East-West Seed” is our powerful testament to the impact that sustained investment in smallholder agriculture can achieve. It serves as a reminder that farmers can overcome even the most challenging circumstances and build a better future for themselves and their families with the right knowledge, tools, and support.

Our Commitment to Women Farmers

Women farmers are integral to the agricultural workforce in many developing countries, particularly in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where we operate. However, these women farmers often need assistance gaining access to land, credit, and markets. East-West Seed recognizes the importance of women in agriculture and has implemented various programs to support them.

To commemorate East-West Seed’s 40th anniversary, we held a forum event, “Women Farmers Forward - Gender Equity in Vegetable Farming,” in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This event brought together passionate East-West Seed participants from around the world, including World Food Prize laureate and East-West Seed founder Simon Groot. The event featured personal stories and challenges faced by female smallholder farmers in the tropics, as well as insights from East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer’s recent study on women vegetable farmers in India, the Philippines, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Additionally, our work in knowledge transfer emphasizes on female lead farmers to improve their knowledge and forming market linkages to sell their products.

East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer provides training and mentorship to women farmers in all aspects of the seed business, from breeding and production to marketing and sales. These initiatives help women develop their skills and knowledge, assume leadership roles in household income, and become more self-sufficient.

Our initiatives to support women farmers are integral to our commitment of promoting sustainable agriculture and social responsibility. Since 2015, our Knowledge Transfer team has trained 631,334 farmers, with females comprising 64% of those taking part. East-West Seed looks forward to creating a more equitable and sustainable food system by further empowering women farmers.

631,334 farmers

*upated in December 2022

64% scan to read women farmers study

Expanding into New Markets: Nigeria and Brazil

In 2022, East-West Seed acquired Hortec Sementes, a Brazilian seed company. This acquisition marks an important step for East-West Seed as it expands its business and invests in the development of high-quality seeds for smallholder farmers in Brazil.

This acquisition enables East-West Seed to better reach smallholder farmers in Brazil and support the development of new and improved vegetable seed varieties tailored to the needs of Brazilian farmers and consumers. East-West Seed aims to enhance the productivity and profitability of smallholder farmers, while also contributing to the growth of Brazil’s agricultural sector.

In Nigeria, East-West Seed worked closely with farmers to introduce new vegetable varieties that are better adapted to local climate and market demands. These varieties include popular vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, and okra, as well as lesser-known crops such as African eggplant and pumpkin leaves. The introduction of these new varieties has led to increased yields, improved crop quality, and boosted incomes for smallholder farmers in the African country.

Over the years, East-West Seed has organized trainings and capacity-building activities for farmers in Nigeria. EWS arranged workshops and training programs to educate farmers on best practices in seed production, crop management, and postharvest handling. These programs have enabled farmers to enhance their skills and knowledge, and adopt more sustainable and profitable farming practices.

In 2022, East-West Seed established a company in Nigeria with plans to grow its market presence in West Africa. This expansion into new markets such as Brazil and Nigeria demonstrates East-West Seed’s commitment to investing in smallholder agriculture in emerging markets and strengthening our position as a leading global provider of tropical vegetable seeds.