Hunger-ending seed technology is on the horizon – but will it reach the farmers who need it most?

The document highlights the critical role of seed innovation in addressing the global hunger crisis and climate change. While technologies like CRISPR and genome-editing are creating resilient crops, a significant gap exists in delivery: only 47 million of the 500 million smallholder farmers currently have access to improved seeds. The author calls for increased public and private investment, the removal of non-science-based regulatory barriers, and stronger partnerships between governments and the private sector to modernize the global seed trade and ensure food security.

• Climate change is identified as the most pressing challenge for the seed sector, with 45% of seed industry insiders and partners in an International Seed Federation survey citing it as such. Over 90% of these experts believe new seed technologies will produce more nutritious, productive, and resilient crops within two decades.
• There is a severe disparity in the distribution of improved seeds; of the 500 million smallholder farmers globally, only 47 million currently have access to improved seed varieties, leaving the majority vulnerable to climate-related threats.
• Investment in agricultural research is insufficient. Public investment has stagnated at $30 billion annually according to the World Resources Institute, while private sector seed companies invest between $10 billion and $25 billion per year (15-25% of annual turnover) into research and development.
• Regulatory and trade barriers hinder food security, with 75% of seed experts stating that non-science-based or inconsistent regulations limit the sector. The IPPC ePhyto Solution, supported by the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation (GATF), is one effort to modernize trade through electronic phytosanitary certification, with ongoing efforts to expand it in Africa.

APA

Keller, M. (2024). Hunger-ending seed technology is on the horizon – but will it reach the farmers who need it most? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/food-water-air/hunger-ending-crop-breakthroughs-are-on-the-horizon-but-how-will-they-reach-farmers/

Chicago

Keller, Michael. Hunger-ending seed technology is on the horizon – but will it reach the farmers who need it most? World Economic Forum, 2024. https://www.weforum.org/stories/food-water-air/hunger-ending-crop-breakthroughs-are-on-the-horizon-but-how-will-they-reach-farmers/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Keller |first1=Michael |title=Hunger-ending seed technology is on the horizon – but will it reach the farmers who need it most? |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=26 September 2024 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/food-water-air/hunger-ending-crop-breakthroughs-are-on-the-horizon-but-how-will-they-reach-farmers/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{keller2024hungerending, author = {Keller, Michael}, title = {{Hunger-ending seed technology is on the horizon – but will it reach the farmers who need it most?}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/food-water-air/hunger-ending-crop-breakthroughs-are-on-the-horizon-but-how-will-they-reach-farmers/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }