Known-You Seed

Access to seeds for smallholder farmers
Known-You Seed’s access to seeds strategy includes a focus on research and development, as it aims to develop varieties that are resistant to abiotic stresses and regional diseases. The company has an opportunity to expand its strategy to include other aspects of ensuring access to seeds and to develop time-bound targets for its objectives.

The company provides limited insight into its position and activities related to genetic resources and intellectual property management. As it is important that seed companies contribute to genetic resources and intellectual property management that supports smallholder agriculture, the company could provide more insights into its activities for others to learn from.

Plant breeding activities in index regions and breeding programme for specific traits
The company has its own breeding programme in Thailand and Vietnam and develops hybrid varieties of vegetable crops. The company has sixteen global vegetable crops, as well as the local crops of yardlong bean, amaranth and mustard in its product portfolio. The company focuses on breeding with traits particularly useful to smallholder farmers, such as resistance to biotic stress and improved shelf life. However, the company could disclose more specific information on its breeding activities and disclose whether these crops were developed as part of its own breeding programme or licensed from another company or source.

Variety testing
The company discloses that it conducts variety trials in Thailand and Vietnam, two of the 12 index countries where it is active. The company could consider extending its testing locations to other countries in the region where it is active.

Local participation in breeding/variety development
The company does not disclose whether it informs its breeding programme with feedback from local consumers, traders and smallholder farmers, and specifically, whether it incorporates the feedback and preferences of women farmers in the index region.

Seed production activities in index region
Known-You Seed has seed production activities in Thailand and Vietnam. However, it has an opportunity to provide evidence to explain how it involves local players in its production activities.

Quality management in seed production in index countries
The company has a logistics and quality control department, which carries out quality checks across its seed production activities. However, the company has an opportunity to specify how much of its seed production is covered by this quality management system.  

Social and labour rights in seed production
The company does not disclose a policy committing to prohibit child and forced labour nor does it disclose a commitment to respect the health and safety of workers, either when seed production is carried out by the company itself or through an intermediary. Furthermore, the company does not disclose whether it pays its workers a living wage or requires its intermediaries to do so.

Distribution channels
Known-You Seed has distribution channels in the majority of index countries in the region, including Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. However, the company could disclose whether it services remote areas in those countries.

Diverse portfolio
The company has an opportunity to disclose its index country-specific portfolios, including the number of varieties and types of seeds sold per crop.

Extension services
The company offers extension services in the region, providing smallholder farmers with technical assistance, technology transfer and training on agronomic practices, including pruning and mulching. However, the company has an opportunity to provide more evidence and examples of what these programmes entail and to disclose in which index countries it offers these programmes.

Programmes for women farmers and next-generation farmers
The company provides extension services in the region but can expand its programmes to target women and next-generation farmers.

Information and communications technology (ICT) and access to output markets
The company has an opportunity to offer programmes to advance the use of information and communication technology by smallholder farmers and to improve the access of smallholder farmers to output markets.

Cabbage
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Eggplant
Gourd
Green bean
Green pea
Lettuce
Melon
Okra
Pepper (hot)
Pepper (sweet)
Pumpkin
Squash
Tomato
Watermelon

Mustard
Yardlong bean
Amaranth

Download the portfolios of all companies in the 2021 index for South and South-East Asia here.