Rijk Zwaan

Access to company genetic resources
Rijk Zwaan gives access to its genetic resources by making its varieties available to national and international genebanks without restrictive conditions. For example, the company shared its old lettuce varieties with the Centre for Genetic Resources (CGN) in the Netherlands.

Benefit sharing
The company indicates it supports the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and makes individual voluntary contributions within its access and benefit sharing framework through its work with public genebanks. The company provides financial support for collection missions that enable genebanks to expand their collections. It also helps them to describe, characterise and multiply these genetic resources, and provides training to local staff.

Developing improved varieties of global crops and breeding programme for specific traits
While Rijk Zwaan does not have its own breeding programme in Western and Central Africa, it has breeding activities outside the index region and makes varieties of vegetable crops available with traits such as resistance to biotic stress and improved nutritional value. The company also focuses on incorporating resistance/tolerance to pests and diseases notably tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLVC), a trait that is especially important for smallholder farmers in index countries.

Quality assurance and after-sales
The company has quality assurance systems to ensure germination and seed health to ISTA standards. Furthermore, the company works to prevent of the sale of counterfeit seeds through traceability mechanisms and has processes in place to remove expired seeds from circulation. To provide after-sales support to farmers, Rijk Zwaan has a system for customers to file complaints and offer feedback.

Extension services
The company offers extension services in all countries it is active in the region and provides training and advice to smallholders during field days, E-learnings and seminars through both its local distributor network and its own crop specialists. Rijk Zwaan has reached 20,000 smallholders in the region in 2018-2020.

Next-generation farmers
Together with its distributor Holland Greentech, Rijk Zwaan collaborates with the Kwadaso Agricultural College in Ghana to train students in agricultural skills and create jobs in the horticultural sector. In addition, the company specifically targets youths and students in their projects in Benin and Côte d’Ivoire. The company has engaged 3,500 next-generation farmers in the region in the period 2018-2020.

Information and communications technology (ICT)
Together with its local partners, the company provides digital training and workshops that include information on farming practices and weather-related alerts. It is also active on social media channels such as Facebook, where it shares information related to crops and events and reaches out to smallholder farmers in the region.

Access to seeds for smallholder farmers and governance and accountability
Rijk Zwaan’s strategy for ensuring access to seeds for smallholder farmers in the region prioritises research and development, such as through breeding, marketing and sales, and reaching farmers through technology and capacity building. The company has an opportunity to expand its strategy to include time-bound targets. While its board of directors is responsible for implementing its access to seeds objectives for smallholder farmers, the company can improve accountability for its strategy by linking its board remuneration policy to its access to seeds objectives.

Stakeholder engagement
Rijk Zwaan undertakes stakeholder engagement activities relevant for the region with organisations such as the International Seed Federation (ISF) and African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA), as well as for crop breeding with research institutes and for capacity building programmes with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). However, the company can improve its disclosure on how it identifies its most relevant stakeholders.

Local participation in breeding/variety development
Although the company does not have a breeding programme in the region, it could disclose more information on how it uses the feedback from local consumers, traders and smallholder farmers in the region to inform the varieties it develops for the region.

Variety testing
The company performs variety trials in Benin and Senegal, two of the seven index countries where it is active. The company could consider extending its testing locations to other countries in the region where it is active.

Seed production activities in index region
The company does not have seed production locations in the region. It has the opportunity to introduce seed production locations in the region and engage with local seed companies and farmer organisations, respecting social and labour rights of workers. This would contribute to the transfer of advanced technologies and strengthen both local expertise and a sustainable business climate.

Quality and safety of varieties
The company adheres to ISTA and ISHI-Veg protocols for safeguarding quality and safety of seeds. However, it can disclose further information regarding its protocols for variety registration when launching new varieties in index countries.

Diverse portfolio
As the company offers only a few varieties for the majority of crops in all of the index countries in which it has sales, it can diversify its portfolio through offering more varieties per crop. Additionally, although it offers both open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) and hybrids, it can offer both seed types for more crops in its regional portfolio.

Programmes for women farmers
The company does not disclose evidence of programmes that are targeted towards building the capacity of women farmers.

Lettuce
Pepper
Tomato

Cabbage
Carrot
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Eggplant
Lettuce
Melon
Pepper (hot)
Pepper (sweet)
Squash
Tomato
Watermelon

African hot pepper
African eggplant
Sukuma wiki

Download the portfolios of all companies in the 2021 index for Western and Central Africa here.

Access to company genetic resources
Rijk Zwaan gives access to its genetic resources by making its varieties available to national and international genebanks without restrictive conditions. For example, the company shared its old lettuce varieties with the Centre for Genetic Resources (CGN) in the Netherlands.

Benefit sharing
The company indicates it supports the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and makes individual voluntary contributions within its access and benefit sharing framework through its work with public genebanks. The company provides financial support for collection missions that enable genebanks to expand their collections. It also helps them to describe, characterise and multiply these genetic resources, and provides training to local staff.

Plant breeding activities in index regions and breeding programme for specific traits
The company has its own breeding programme in Tanzania and develops hybrid varieties and OPVs of vegetable crops. It develops traits that are particularly important for smallholder farmers, such as improved nutritional value and resistance to abiotic stress. The company also focuses on incorporating resistance/tolerance to pests and diseases, notably Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV), a trait that is especially important for smallholder farmers in index countries.

Seed production activities in index region
The company has seed production locations in Tanzania, and produces seeds on a contract basis through an external local seed producing company in South Africa and Zambia.

Quality management in seed production in index countries
To ensure quality, the company has an internal management system that covers all of its seed production in index countries, and it discloses that all of its seeds undergo quality control centrally in the Netherlands. Rijk Zwaan operates in accordance with a quality management system to control and improve the quality of all activities and processes, from breeding to sales, and the system is audited internally on a regular basis. Furthermore, in contracts with seed producers, the company requires them to comply with specific standards concerning hygiene, crop maintenance, crop protection, germination and seed health and to perform regular compliance checks in the field.

Quality assurance and after sales
The company has quality assurance systems to ensure germination and seed health to International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) standards. Furthermore, the company works to prevent of the sale of counterfeit seeds through traceability mechanisms, and it has processes in place to remove expired seeds from circulation. To provide aftersales support to farmers, Rijk Zwaan has a system for customers to file complaints and offer feedback.

Extension services
The company offers extension services in all countries in the region. It also provides training and advice to smallholders during field days, E-learnings and seminars, both through its local distributor network and through its own crop specialists and sales representatives. Stakeholders in its distribution network include Holland Greentech in Tanzania and several other African countries. Rijk Zwaan has reached 100,000 smallholders in the region for the period 2018-2020.

Information and communications technology (ICT)
Together with its local partners, the company provides digital training and workshops, which include information on farming practices and weather related alerts. For example, it is active on Viamo, a platform with connects individuals and organisations though digital technology, where the company shares knowledge and information with smallholder farmers, as well as social media channels such as Facebook, where it shares information related to crops and events. In Tanzania, the company further makes use of the phone service M-farming to share technical information with smallholder farmers.

Access to output markets
The company cooperates with retail partners to improve the quality of local supply, including from smallholder farmers. It does this by providing training to leading growers in countries such as Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda, who pass on the technical and market-related knowledge they gain to growers in other villages. In Tanzania, the company carried out promotions for melon varieties targeted at a number of retailers, which enabled smallholders to produce these melon types and deliver them to the retail companies involved. Rijk Zwaan further cooperates with partners throughout the food chain to develop the market for vegetable growers worldwide, including smallholder farmers.

Access to seeds for smallholder farmer and governance and accountability
Rijk Zwaan’s strategy for ensuring access to seeds for smallholder farmers in the region prioritises research and development, with a focus on hybrid breeding, and capacity building, with a focus on training programmes. Additionally, the strategy prioritises marketing and sales, with a focus on reaching farmers through technology. However, the company has an opportunity to expand its strategy and include time-bound targets. While its board of directors is responsible for implementing its access to seeds objectives for smallholder farmers, the company can improve accountability for its strategy by linking its board remuneration policy to its access to seeds objectives.

Stakeholder engagement
Rijk Zwaan undertakes stakeholder engagement activities with organisations such as the International Seed Federation (ISF) and the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA). Additionally, the company collaborates with research institutes on crop breeding and with NGOs on capacity building programmes. However, the company can improve its disclosure on how it identifies its most relevant stakeholders.

Licensing
The company is a member of the International Licensing Platform but could provide greater disclosure on its strategy of how to offer royalty-free or lower price licensing of intellectual property for the benefit of smallholder farmers in index countries.

Local participation in breeding/variety development
The company could disclose more information on how it uses feedback from local consumers, traders and smallholder farmers to inform its breeding programme, including how it incorporates feedback from women farmers.

Variety testing
The company only performs variety trials in South Africa and Tanzania, two of the 12 index countries where it is active. It could consider extending its testing locations to other countries in the region where it is active.

Engaging smallholder farmers in seed production
The company does not directly engage smallholder farmers in their seed production activities, although it involves them via contractors, and requires these to offer them formal contracts. However, Rijk Zwaan has an opportunity to provide examples of the contracts offered and evidence on how these outline arrangements on product prices and sharing of profits and risks are favourable for smallholders.

Social and labour rights in seed production
The company has standards in place regarding minimum conditions on child labour, forced labour, health and safety. It discloses that its specialists are aware of its Principles of Fair Labour, which address all these topics, and they do random checks to see whether there are any deviations. However, the company has the opportunity to provide evidence on how it regularly monitors compliance in accordance with these social standards, and whether it pays its workers a living wage or requires its intermediaries to do so.

Quality and safety of varieties
The company adheres to ISTA and International Seed Health Initiative for Vegetable Crops (ISHI-Veg) protocols for safeguarding the quality and safety of seeds. However, it can disclose more information about its protocols for variety registration when launching new varieties in index countries.

Diverse portfolio
As the company offers only a few varieties for the majority of crops in all of the index countries where it has sales, it can diversify its portfolio by offering more varieties per crop. Additionally, although it offers both OPVs and hybrids, it can offer both seed types for more crops in its regional portfolio.

Programmes for women farmers
The company does not disclose evidence of programmes that are targeted towards building the capacity of women farmers.

Tomato
Pepper
Lettuce

Cabbage
Carrot
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Eggplant
Lettuce
Melon
Pepper (hot)
Pepper (sweet)
Squash
Tomato
Watermelon

African eggplant
African pepper
Sukuma

Download the portfolios of all companies in the 2021 index for Eastern and Southern Africa here.

Access to company genetic resources
Rijk Zwaan gives access to its genetic resources by making its varieties available to national and international genebanks without restrictive conditions. For example, the company shared its old lettuce varieties with the Centre for Genetic Resources (CGN) in the Netherlands.

Benefit sharing
The company indicates it supports the ITPGRFA and makes individual voluntary contributions within its access and benefit sharing framework through its work with public genebanks. It provides financial support for collection missions that enable gene banks to expand their collections. It also helps them to describe, characterise and multiply these genetic resources, and provides training to local staff.

Plant breeding activities in index regions and variety testing
The company has its own breeding programme for vegetable crops in India and also conducts product development and breeding trials for the region in Vietnam and Thailand. It invests in building the capacity of local research staff in the region by educating them in breeding and breeding-related skills and knowledge.

Breeding programme for specific traits
The company develops varieties with traits that are particularly important for smallholder farmers, such as improved nutritional value and local taste and cultural preferences. It also focuses on incorporating resistance and tolerance to regionally important pests and diseases such as tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLVC).

Quality management in seed production in index countries
To ensure quality, the company has an internal management system that covers all of its seed production in index countries. It discloses that all seeds undergo quality control centrally in the Netherlands. Rijk Zwaan has a quality management system that operates to supervise and ensure the quality of its activities, and its internally audits its system on a regular basis. Furthermore, in contracts with seed producers, the company requires them to comply with specific standards concerning hygiene, crop maintenance, crop protection, germination and seed health, and expects them to perform regular compliance checks in the field.

Packaging and labelling
The company offers local languages on seed packages in the majority of index countries where it has sales. It also uses a barcode track and trace system in all index countries where it has sales. Additionally, the company offers seed packages in appropriate sizes for smallholder farmers in the region.

Quality assurance and after-sales
The company has quality assurance systems to ensure germination and seed health to International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) standards. Furthermore, the company works to prevent of the sale of counterfeit seeds through traceability mechanisms, and it has processes in place to remove expired seeds from circulation. To provide after-sales support to farmers, Rijk Zwaan has a system for customers to file complaints and offer feedback.

Extension services
The company offers extension services in all countries in the region. It also provides training and advice to smallholders during field days, E-learnings and seminars, both through its local distributor network and through its own crop specialists and sales representatives. In India, Rijk Zwaan operate “Centres of Excellence” in many regions, in cooperation with local authorities, where it provides advice and training to growers. In Vietnam, the company further organises seminars, field days and grower training sessions in cooperation with local authorities. The company has reached 100,000 smallholders in the region for the period 2018-2020.

Access to output markets
In India and Vietnam, Rijk Zwaan cooperates with retail partners to improve the quality of local supply, including from smallholder farmers. For instance the company started a partnership with Indonesia’s largest retailer Superindo, partnering with their growers cooperative ‘Al Ittifaq’ to guarantee them with fresh vegetables year round, whilst at the same time improving access to output markets for smallholders in the region. Furthermore, the company partners with FoodTechIndia, an organisation which aims to reduce food wastage and enabling sustainable inclusive economic growth for smallholder farmers across the country by providing them with training, resources and direct market linkages through their retail channels.

Access to seeds for smallholder farmers and governance and accountability
Rijk Zwaan’s strategy for ensuring access to seeds for smallholder farmers in the region prioritises research and development, marketing and sales, genetic resources and intellectual property management and capacity building. The company has an opportunity to expand its strategy to include time-bound targets. While its board of directors is responsible for implementing its access to seeds objectives for smallholder farmers, it can improve accountability for its strategy by linking its board remuneration policy to its access to seeds objectives.

Stakeholder engagement
Rijk Zwaan undertakes stakeholder engagement activities with organisations such as the International Seed Federation (ISF) and the Asia and Pacific Seed Association (APSA). Additionally, the company collaborates with research institutes on crop breeding and with NGOs on capacity building programmes. However, the company can improve its disclosure on how it identifies its most relevant stakeholders.

Licensing
The company is a member of the International Licensing Platform but could provide greater disclosure on how it offers royalty-free or lower price licensing of its material for the benefit of smallholder farmers in index countries.

Local participation in breeding/variety development
The company could disclose more information on how it uses feedback from local consumers, traders and smallholder farmers to inform its breeding programme, including how it incorporates feedback from women farmers.

Seed production activities in index region
The company has seed production activities in India and Thailand, where it produces seeds through vendors that coordinate seed production with smallholder farmers. It also states it involves intermediaries in seed production, but has the opportunity to disclose examples of how it involves local players in seed production.

Engaging smallholder farmers in seed production
The company involves smallholder farmers in its seed production activities and discloses that it offers them formal contracts. However, it has an opportunity to provide examples of the contracts offered and evidence on how arrangements on product prices and sharing of profits and risks are favourable to smallholders.

Social and labour rights in seed production
The company has standards in place regarding minimum conditions on child labour, forced labour, health and safety. It discloses that its specialists are aware of its Principles of Fair Labour, which address all these topics, and they perform random checks to see whether there are any breaches to these principles. However, the company does not provide sufficient evidence of how it monitors compliance in accordance with these social standards. Furthermore, the company does not disclose that it pays its farmers a living wage.

Quality and safety of varieties
The company adheres to ISTA and International Seed Health Initiative for Vegetable Crops (ISHI-Veg) protocols for safeguarding the quality and safety of seeds. However, it can disclose more information about its protocols for variety registration when launching new varieties in index countries.

Diverse portfolio
The company offers four or more varieties for the majority of crops in some of the index countries where it has sales. However, it can diversify its portfolio by offering more varieties per crop in other index countries where it has sales. Additionally, although it offers both open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) and hybrids, it can offer both seed types for more crops in its regional portfolio.

Information and communications technology (ICT)
Together with its local partners, the company provides digital training and workshops, which include information on farming practices. Rijk Zwaan is also active on social media channels, such as Facebook, where it shares information related to crops and events and reaches out to smallholder farmers in the region. In June 2020, Rijk Zwaan’s subsidiary in India launched an e-learning course for Indian growers, to provide them with training and advice during the Covid-19 pandemic. The company however has the opportunity to disclose whether it provides information on company products and weather-related alerts to smallholders in its ICT programmes.

Programmes for women farmers
The company provides extension services in the region but it can expand its activities to develop tailored programmes targeted at women farmers in the region.

Cucumber
Sweet pepper
Lettuce

Cabbage
Carrot
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Eggplant
Lettuce
Melon
Pepper (hot)
Pepper (sweet)
Squash
Tomato
Watermelon

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