b'GIANT VIEWSSIX WORDS THAT EXPLAIN OUR BIGGEST BATTLESSOMETIMES THE MOSTcomplex challenges can be captured in aand private breeding. What do we risk single word. Agriculture, and seed innovation in particular, is anlosing if public breeding is not protected intricate web of science, policy, economics, and human effort.and supported? In one word: innovation. Yet when I reflect on the future of seed innovation in theBreeding programs demand enormous Americas, I return to a handful of words that feel almost likeresourcesyears of research, highly compass points. Each one distills the urgency of our momenttrained people, and significant invest-and points toward the promise of what lies ahead. ment. Without proper protection, those investments cannot be justified. And Regulation without investment, innovation withers. Regulations are essential; they provide the structure thatVariety protection isnt about limiting ensures safety, fairness and accountability. But when thoseaccess; its about ensuring that the cycle frameworks fail to evolve with science, they become obstaclesof discovery and improvement continues. By Diego Risso,rather than enablers. At the Seed Association of the Americas, Executive Director, Seed Associationand in my own work in Uruguay, we have made it our mis- Goverstryof the Americas/ sion to engage tirelessly with regulators. We dont ask for fewerWho is shaping the rules of the global Uruguayan Plantrules; we ask for smarter onesrooted in science, streamlinedseed industry today? For this, I had to Breeders Association in design, and reflective of the realities of modern plant breed- invent a word: goverstry. It is the combi-ing. Regulation should not be a wall that halts innovation but anation of government and industry, work-bridge that carries it responsibly to farmers.ing together. Neither side can lead alone. Governments provide legitimacy, Determined rules, and accountability. Industry What, then, is the prevailing mood among our members asprovides creativity, energy, and practical they navigate these challenges? Determined. Determined tosolutions. If government moves with-innovate, to trade, to invest, and to find solutions. Determinedout industry, regulations risk becoming to sit across the table from regulators, even when the conversa- unworkable. If industry moves without tions are difficult, because they know innovation only matters ifgovernment, innovation risks becom-it reaches the farm gate.ing unaccepted or untrusted. The path A seed variety sitting in a laboratory or trial plot has noforward requires both walking in stepimpact on global food security until it is planted in a field. Ournot reluctantly, but with shared purpose.members understand this truth deeply. They are resolved not just to push science forward, but to ensure that science trans- Value Chainlates into action.Finally, if I were to name the word that explains Uruguays relative success in Progressive managing these dynamics, it would be If I step back and take stock of the regulatory landscape acrossvalue chain. Plants depend on genet-the Americas as a whole, the word I would use is progressive. Itics. And genetics depend on protection. is not perfectprogress rarely isbut it is movement in theWhen the entire value chain acknowl-right direction.edges this interdependence, progress is Some countries advance more quickly than others, butnot only possible, it is sustainable. the overall trajectory is forward. The real frustration is pace.All six words are both a challenge and Science and technology move with urgency; regulatory systemsa call to action, a reminder that progress often lag behind. The challenge before us is not convincingis never automatic. The future of seed people that change is needed, but ensuring that change happensinnovation will be defined by how we fast enough to keep up with the demands of farmers, markets,choose to live out these words. And if and the planet. we do, they may yet become more than wordsthey may become the architec-Want to see more?Innovation ture of a stronger, more resilient agri-Elevate your experienceNowhere is the importance of pace and protection clearer than incultural system across the Americas and on Seed World 360!the debate happening in Canada over the balance between publicaround the world.48 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADANOVEMBER 2025'