b'IN A SMALL VILLAGEin Cambodia, Kong SaFarmers were saving their own seeds. The con-Em painstakingly worked to provide for her family,sumption of vegetables was high and was more eating on $125 per year. That was until she was selectedprofitable than agricultural crops. With our seeds, by World Vision and East-West Seed as a target farmer.small farmers could produce more and have a higher Through their efforts, she learned to grow Chai sim, aincome.popular Chinese leafy green. In Southeast Asia, Groot shares that small-scale Since then, the 35-year-old has learned to growfarmers comprise the majority of the vegetable sector. cucumber, netting $545 after one month. Now, sheAs a result, East-West Seed has always been focused grows a number of other vegetables and adviseson smaller-scale farmers.neighbors on growing techniques. These successesInput suppliers, like seed suppliers, in developing allowed her to build a small kitchen for her family andmarkets are more dependent on long-term market purchase a motorcycle. growth than on short-term results, he says. We try Her story is not uncommon, thanks to the work ofhard to be as local as we can be in everything we do, Simon Groot and East-West Seed. but we always strive for world-class quality.Founded in the Philippines in 1982 with businessFarmers are the best judge; it takes several dec-partner Benito Domingo, the vegetable seed companyades of building up the trust of the majority of the has helped lift millions of farmers in Southeast Asia outfarmers to become their favorite seedsman.of poverty and provided many more consumers access to a diversity of nutritious, fresh produce. More than QualityFor these contributions, Groot (a Dutch seedsman)While quality helps to build trust, theres more to the is being recognized as the recipient of the 2019 Worldsuccess story of Groot and East-West Seed.Food Prize, often thought of as the Nobel Prize inEast-West Seed is a firm believer that knowledge agriculture. During the past four decades, Groot hastransfer is a precondition to the increased productivityWhether successfully developed a dynamic, smallholder-centricand the development of competitive markets. working in a tropical vegetable seed industry, starting in SoutheastYou have to share your knowledge to come to aseedshop or Asia and spreading throughout Asia, Africa and Latinbetter world, Groot says, adding that It increases yourworking on the America. His work has invigorated both rural and urbanmarket and the income of farmers. farm, East-West markets for vegetable crops, making vegetables moreWorking closely with local and international non- Seeds widely available and affordable to millions of familiesgovernmental organizations, Groot created a company- continuously each year. wide knowledge transfer program, which sought tosupports At a ceremony in June 2019 by the U.S. Departmenttrain tens of thousands of farmers each year in goodsmall-holder of State, Ambassador and President of the World Foodagricultural practices for vegetable production. Thefarmers, no Prize Foundation Kenneth Quinn said, Like Dr. Normancoupling of better seeds and improved farming prac- matter their Borlaug before him, Simon N. Groot has dedicated histices led to dramatically increased profits.endeavor. life to improving the livelihoods of millions around theGroots approach has helped transform farming world. With his partner in the Philippines, he begancommunities throughout 60 tropical countries from developing vegetable varieties with enhanced diseasebeing subsistence farmers to being horticultural entre-resistance and significantly higher yields. As the usepreneurs. These entrepreneurs are buying other input of his seeds spread throughout the Philippines and tosupplies, adopting new practices and new crops and in Thailand, Indonesia and across Southeast Asia, farm- doing so are reinvigorating their own communities. DID YOU ers daily lives were uplifted, and consumers benefitedFor these achievements, Groot was recognized atKNOW?from greater access to nutritious vegetables. Mr. Grootthe World Food Prize ceremony on Oct. 17, 2019, in DesA popular in effect developed a stunningly impactful global net- Moines, Iowa. And hes not slowing down.vegetable work of seed producers who are transforming the livesThe awarding of the World Food Prize to a vegeta- among the of 20 million farmers every year. ble seedsman is reason for excitement and gratitude,Chinese, In the 1980s, Groot realized that plant breedingGroot says. But the ultimate recognition is for the mil- Chai sim literally means modernization (the development of hybrids at thelions of smallholder farmers that stepped-up farmingvegetable time) had largely bypassed that part of the world.from a way of living to building a business. heart. With Furthermore, he noticed that local seed supplies ofPartnering modern science with a long tradition oftender and open-pollinated varieties were unstable. Dutch seedsmanship has contributed mightily to thejuicy leaves and Groot set out to develop new hybrid varieties forgrowth of the vegetable farming industry in tropicalstems, Chai fruit and vegetable crops for the tropics and to stabi- Asia in the last 35 years. Now it is the turn for tropicalsim is delicious lize open-pollinated crops. This meant local breedingAfrica where again quality vegetable seeds combinedsteamed, facilities and capacity development. with major farm knowledge transfer programs canstir fried and I saw development potential, Groot says. Therecreate sustainable income for the next generation ofcooked in soup. was only a small market for vegetable seeds. farmers.SWINTERNATIONAL EDITION 2020SEEDWORLD.COM /89'