b'PARTNER CONTENTSuccessful Joint Ventures Thrive on RespectBy David PearsonW hen Limagrain started way back in 1965, we were a farmerthe world and today have joint ventures in Africa, Australia, China, cooperative servicing a relatively small geographic area.Europe and North America.As we grew over our first 35 years, we still operated solely inOne partnership we are especially proud of is with Seed Europe. Then, in 2000, we formed our first joint venture in theCo, the largest seed company in Africa. Seed Co got its start in United States. Since then, weve grown in multiple directionsZimbabwe and now operates in many African countries. When and now have 13 highly valued partnerships located in diverseLimagrain became a shareholder, we became active in the com-geographic regions around the world. What have we learnedpanys day-to-day strategy and together we created additional about partnerships over the last 25 years? A whole lot, actually.joint ventures in South Africa as well as in West and Central Africa. The first and perhaps most important question is: why partner?Our success in Africa may surprise some readers. Thats Although Limagrain is a relatively large company, there are timesbecause most European and North Americans impression of when even a company as large as ours has to admit that we arentAfrica centers on three key things: corruption, poverty, and war. big enough to do everything, know everything or have every- That perception, fed by media headlines, isnt the whole reality thing it takes to succeed in every region. So, it makes sense forof Africa at all. Its easy to forget that Africa comprises 54 coun-us to form collaborative, strategic partnerships in order to meettries, many of which are engaged in a broad range of agricultural research or business objectives. Our move into partnerships didntendeavors. In sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, we do business happen overnight. It has been an organic process and one thatswith about 25 million small farmers who typically each buy a accelerated over the past 15 years. single 2.5 lb (1 kg) bag of seed annually. Our South Africa farmers, While joint ventures have proven pivotal to Limagrains growthon the other hand, use a high-tech, large farm model thats virtu-and reach, working with partners isnt for everyone and its notally identical to the one seen in Canada and the US. always an easy process. Joint ventures can be complicated andEach region has a unique way of doing things but, at the end of they can take a lot of management time. I like to compare them tothe day, farmers across the globe need high performance seed in marriages: you need to go into partnership with your eyes open;order to maximize their yields. We form joint ventures with regional you must show your partner a huge amount of respect; and youseed companies to ensure they have what they need to succeed.have to be willing, at times, to compromise. Joint ventures dontIf I have learned one thing over the years, its that when con-suit every company, but theyve been an excellent fit for us.templating a joint venture, you need to be sure that youre partner-Why do partnerships work for us? Limagrain started as a farm- ing with a company thats wired for collaboration. Companies, like ers cooperative in 1965. We are owned by farmers and led bypeople, have their own personalities and cultures. Some are lone farmers.Simply put, cooperation is in our DNA. We have built ourwolves. Others are driven by cooperation. Partner with the right business by acquiring or partnering with seed companies aroundcompany and everyone wins.NOVEMBER 2024 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA 41'