Event 1 October 2021

Virtual launch of the 2021 Access to Seeds Index for Eastern and Southern Africa

What is the seed industry doing to help smallholder farmers to achieve food security and improving livelihood in the region?

Friday 15th October at 11.00-12.00 CEST, CAT / 12.00-13.00 EAT

Find out at the launch of the third iteration of WBA’s Access to Seeds Index for Eastern and Southern Africa, which assesses the 32 global and regional seed companies on their efforts to reach smallholder farmers with quality seeds of improved varieties.

The index arrives at a critical moment in taking bold actions to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger. As the seeds industry is positioned at the beginning of the food value chain, it has the potential to substantially improve food and nutrition security for our growing global population in the countries that need it most. A series of small changes starting at the industry level can, over time, contribute to the transformation of our global food and agriculture system to ensure a sustainable future for everyone.

This event, which coincides with the celebration of 2021 World Food Day, will present company rankings and key findings reflecting on the progress of the seed industry in the region since 2016. We aim to shine a light on the level of company’s ambition, showcasing leading practices alongside areas of improvement. We will explore the role of stakeholders in influencing the enabling environment to deliver local seed infrastructure and highlight the key actions to deliver on achieving SDG2 Zero Hunger by 2030.

Speakers:

Alice Ingabire, Access to Seeds Index Lead, World Benchmarking Alliance
Rogers Mugambi, Commercial Lead, Agriscope Africa (East African Seed)
Calvin Fambisayi, Business Development Executive, Seed Co
Tomas Zaborowski, Head of Sustainability Excellence, Bayer
Kouame Miezan, Executive Director, AfricaSeeds
Dr. Ed Mabaya, Chief Scientific Advisor, The African Seed Access Index (TASAI)
Selorm Branttie, Strategy Director, mPedigree

This launch follows the publication of the 2021 Access to Seeds Index for Western and Central Africa on 21 September 2021 and precedes the South and South-East Asian Index, which will launch on 22 November 2021.