‘Serving farmers by challenging ourselves’

‘Serving farmers by challenging ourselves’

Interview with Douwe Zijp, Global CEO, East-West Seed

What does innovation mean to East-West Seed today?

‘East-West Seed is a truly unique company. We have come a long way. The innovative spirit that continues to sustain and ignite us is at the heart of everything we do. For me, at this point, innovation is to focus on two significant areas. One is Research and Development, in which a lot can be achieved from classical breeding by better understanding farmers’ needs and coming up with products that are needed in the market. As planned in the PACE strategy (Pioneering, Accountable, Caring, Enduring), we are planning to increase our R&D budget from 11% to 15 %. So that more financial resources will be available for our teams to experiment with new breeding technologies and focus on bringing out new products and varieties with better abiotic stress and disease resistance that are climate resilient.

On the other hand, innovation is all about how effectively we bring in new processes and ways of working. Whether it is better machinery in our plants or implementing the LEAP projects – we are looking at various

elements to make us more agile and efficient.

In the long term, under the PACE strategy, we plan to focus on geo expansion, agronomic focus, digital farming, and other value-added activities for the farmers.’

How will EWS accelerate innovation and create value today for the long-term benefit of smallholder farmers?

‘We must realize that business-as-usual will not work. We need to build on the successes of the past. We must view vegetable farming with a multifunctional approach. On the one hand, we need to continue to encourage smallholder farmers to adopt commercially viable crops while, on the other hand, nudging them to adopt agro-ecological approaches and appropriate technologies. Another aspect we focus on is local crops that can help integrate local and traditional knowledge, resulting in products suitable for specific geographies.

We have many crops in our portfolio, for instance the leafy crops in Asia. Our Brazilian Hortec acquisition has brought in new products, such as lettuce varieties focused on Latin America, which has good market potential. We are also looking at the use of hydroponic crops. The segment is still small in the tropical area, but I am sure it will grow very well in the coming years, for two reasons. One, the quality of the produce is better, and two, less inputs are needed. I am sure we can play a part in this.’

Climate change extremes have become day-to-day reality. How will East-West Seed contribute to mitigating this risk and help promote sustainable agricultural practices?

‘According to published reports, agriculture is responsible for about 17% of GHG emissions in India. Three-fourths of this is due to the methane

produced from rice cultivation and livestock, and the remaining 26% comes from nitrous oxide from fertilizers. The share of agriculture in total GHG emissions will increase significantly if crop residue is burnt, which is now spreading to all states.

Water-intensive crops are grown in low rainfall areas, spreading water-intensive practices. Free or subsidized power for agriculture and free water for irrigation encourage excessive water use and do not provide any water-saving incentive. Therefore, groundwater resources are getting depleted in almost all states. We’re promoting crop diversification, countering the resource-depleting mono-culture practices still applied in many of our markets. We are also training our farmers in climate-smart agriculture.’

How has East-West Seed embraced digital agriculture?

‘The world is rapidly changing, and East-West Seed is adopting innovative farming approaches to stay ahead. From climate change to increasing food and nutrition demands, our challenges require accurate data to enable more creative and practical actions.

East-West Seed has initiated Digital Plant Breeding, Greenhouse Automation using IoT and AI, monitoring and evaluation by East-West KT, digitalization of sales and marketing activities, and digitalization of seed production processes in the field.’

How do you envision including women farmers in building a sustainable future?

‘Empowering women farmers is the key to the future. Closing the global gender gap in agriculture would significantly boost food production and build sustainable futures for all of us. East-West Seed is working with

many partners worldwide to train women in vegetable farming on various continents, such as Asia and Africa, which can help them earn extra income and self-reliance.’

What are your expectations from your team, EWS employees, and external stakeholders to help realize your vision?

‘East-West Seed’s success is built on our people. We all want to focus on working together and developing a team-based environment in EWS across geographies. It requires some work from the country’s leadership team to set the right example. The essential building block to developing an effective team is communication, so it is imperative to develop the best possible environment to communicate effectively with each other. Helping our employees understand how all of the functions work together as a team adds to the business and is part of telling that big-picture story. It’s principally tied to their individual contributions, which – even when physically apart – can contribute to the greater good. Personal motivation from everyone at EWS means more success for all of us in the long run. We are all committed to our mission of providing innovative products and services that will help increase farmers’ income and promote the growth and quality of the vegetable farming industry.’

For more about East-West Seed visit: www.eastwestseed.com