State of Seed

The State of Farmers

How are farmers coping with the shocks of 2026? In this episode, we explore how farmers are faring across the world and how we can ensure that high quality seeds reach those who need them most.  First, we visit farmers in Portugal and speak with a number of farmers about the impacts of the Strait of Hormuz’s closure on their business. Then, host Laura Rosbrow-Telem interviews Mark Watne, Former Head of the North Dakota Farmers Union, and Dr. Maximo Torero, Chief Economist at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) about the state of farmers right now.  Finally, we hear an edited conversation from the World Seed Congress about inclusive seed systems, moderated by Julie Borlaug and featuring Leah Salvaleon, a smallholder vegetable farmer in the Philippines from the Bukidnon PhilGAP Farmers Association; Maaike Groot from East-West Seed [https://www.eastwestseed.com/about-us/], Evelyn Lusenaka from AGRA, and Trey Key from Gates Agricultural Innovations. State of Seed is a show from the International Seed Federation, with production services by FP Studios.

Seeds in a Fragmented World

How is our increasingly fragmented world impacting access to seeds? In Season 3 of State of Seed, we talk to seed company executives, government officials, leaders from multinational organizations, and farmers about how they are grappling with this geopolitically complicated moment – particularly since the war in Iran began.  In this episode, host Laura Rosbrow-Telem interviews Jeff Rowe, CEO of Syngenta Group, one of the world’s largest agricultural innovation companies and the third largest seed company, and Edwini Kessie, Director of the Agriculture and Commodities Division at the World Trade Organization (WTO), and biotech experts from the World Seed Congress about how biologicals can offer solutions to the fertilizer crisis.  State of Seed is a show from the International Seed Federation, with production services by FP Studios. Special thanks to Travers Pickmere from South Pacific Seeds, Jelle Vriend from Ad Terram, and Doris Gusenbauer from Ensemo for their thoughts at the beginning of the episode.

Coming Soon: State of Seed Season 3

In the newest season of State of Seed, launching Friday, we examine how our increasingly fragmented world is impacting access to seeds. Recorded at the World Seed Congress in Lisbon, host Laura Rosbrow-Telem talks to farmers and leaders from seed companies, government, the WTO, and the FAO about how they are grappling with this geopolitically complicated moment. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Agricultural trade remained stable [https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/agric_e/ag_imp_exp_charts_e.htm#ag_products] last year and crop breeding innovations could help farmers manage various challenges, including better optimizing inputs like fertilizers. State of Seed is a podcast from the International Seed Federation, with production services by FP Studios.

You Might Like: Real Organic

This week we’re sharing a special episode from our friends at the Real Organic Podcast, the award-winning “Best Sustainability, Environment & Climate Podcast” produced by the Real Organic Project. Recently named one of the "best climate podcasts" by Earth.org [https://earth.org/best-environmental-climate-podcasts/], the Real Organic Podcast uncovers the forces reshaping organic food – like how corporate lobbying is redefining what “organic” means and how industry use of new terms like “regenerative” and “hydroponics” are not really organic. Hosted by Linley Dixon and Dave Chapman, each episode features deep conversations with farmers, scientists, chefs, and journalists fighting to keep organic food honest. Like today’s special episode with chef and author Dan Barber, who explores America’s relationship with food and agriculture, including how farming for flavor - instead of farming for the amount of food or the shelf life of that food - can transform our food system from the ground up. It’s a fascinating conversation, particularly as Dan argues that seed breeding should begin in the kitchen, with taste driving innovation in the field. From soil-grown crops to flavor-forward farming, this episode digs deep into what we’ve lost - and what we can grow back by connecting chefs, farmers, and crop breeders. For more episodes like this, make sure to follow Real Organic Podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And tell them we sent you.

Negotiating Seeds at the U.N.

This is a big year for the U.N. International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture [https://www.fao.org/plant-treaty/overview/en/] (ITPGRFA), which ensures that seeds in most countries’ public seed or gene banks are widely available to farmers, scientists, and plant breeders everywhere. Negotiators will meet in November in Lima, Peru to try to update the treaty, which first passed in 2001. But this task is proving to be challenging.  In our season finale, we learn about the main issues in the international plant treaty talks, why they are so contentious, and how all this impacts seeds and global food security. Host Laura Rosbrow-Telem speaks with key players in the negotiations, including Kent Nnadozie, the treaty's secretary. She also talks to Jasmina Muminovic, the head of genetic resources at Bayer Crop Science as well as the International Seed Federation's Coordination Group on Genetic Resources, which leads the seed industry’s participation in the treaty negotiations. We also get a better understanding of the technological advancements complicating the talks from Dave Bubeck,  a research director at Corteva Agriscience. Finally, we hear a lively debate about the negotiations from a World Seed Congress panel moderated by Jean-Paul Judson, the founder of NOWMORE.  State of Seed is a show from the International Seed Federation, with production services by FP Studios.