About

Access to Seeds Index is part of World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), which seeks to generate a movement around increasing the private sector’s impact towards a sustainable future for all. The index assesses seed companies on their efforts to make quality seeds accessible to smallholder farmers and shines a light on leadership and good practice. By providing insights into companies’ performance, presence and portfolio, the index aims to contribute to building partnerships with the seed industry. It also establishes a benchmark for seed companies wanting to do more and informs policymakers working to create the necessary enabling environment.

WBA’s Food and Agriculture Benchmark takes a holistic approach to food systems transformation, assessing companies throughout the food value chain on a broad set of indicators under its four measurement areas: governance, nutrition, environmental and social. As such, it seeks to unravel the role and performance of the companies and industries in scope, and provide evidence on where companies are showing leadership and stewardship, and where they are lagging. As part of this effort and as a spotlight benchmark under the food and agriculture benchmark, the Access to Seeds Index provides in-depth assessments of the performance of the seed industry.

WBA is developing multiple benchmarks that will eventually measure and rank 2,000 keystone companies – companies that have been identified as most influential in contributing to the SDGs across seven critical systems transformations. These are decarbonisation and energy, food and agriculture, circular, digital, urban, financial and social.