The Seed Association of the Americas (SAA) and the Argentine Seed Association (ASA) officially opened the 9th Seed Congress of the Americas on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The three-day Congress wrapped up on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, and featured a jam-packed schedule focused primarily on trade and trade regulation across the Americas.
“The SAA Congress brought together leading seed companies and decision-makers, making it one of the most important AgTech events in the Americas,” says SAA executive director Diego Risso.
Some of the highlight sessions included:
Monday: Following the opening ceremony, the first sessions of the Congress focused on the big picture of trade: a global seed market outlook, a session on trade drivers, and a keynote lecture from Sergio Iraeta, Argentina’s Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries.
As Iraeta said, “Without seeds there is no production. Without seeds there is no food. Seed production is paramount. We are doing what we have to do right now: planting new seeds, planting seeds of freedom so that Argentina can flourish again.”
Admittedly, there remain some frustrating barriers to business in Argentina and, in many cases, in Latin America. Iraeta said opportunities to meet together are key for the seed sector to overcome these challenges.
“There are always barriers that complicate, but precisely the idea of these meetings and these gatherings is to find ways for knowledge to flow, production to flow and wealth to flow,” he said.
Monday’s welcome sessions were followed by “Leadership and Innovation for a Sustainable Future,” a panel discussion with top leaders from BASF, Bayer, Corteva, GDM, and Syngenta.
Tuesday: Tuesday began with an AgTech Start-Ups panel discussion on seed industry innovation, featuring Agronomix, Calice, SICPA, Telecom, and Tracestory.
As Alfredo Paseyro, executive director of Argentina’s Seed Association said after the session, “Our near future is all about daily innovation. From AI to Agtech, there’s so much we don’t yet know. In the seed sector, data is key to driving R&D and ensuring sustainability and traceability.”
Much of the rest of the day focused on sustainability and regenerative agriculture, including discussions on whether these are trends or a new reality, the seed sector’s role, and what sustainable strategies innovation can deliver.
In addition, Tuesday featured the announcement and awarding of the three best innovations presented on the Innovation Floor, where organizations showcased posters of their cutting-edge research and technological advancements. First place went to Argentina’s National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA), second place went to Uruguay’s National Seed Institute (INASE), and third place to Corteva.
Wednesday: Wednesday morning focused on seed movement and phytosanitary regulation before shifting to intellectual property and gene editing from R&D to policy.
The presentation by national seed associations on phytosanitary issues and the global movement of seed included Maria Arminda Grazziotin, ABRASEM Brazil; Marlene Ortiz, AMSAC Mexico; Maricela Canto, ANPROS Chile; Martha Malapi, ASTA USA; and was moderated by Maria Sanchez and Juan Erdmann. This session was particularly notable in that all panelists were women: evidence of growing opportunities for women in leadership in the seed sector.
Alongside the sessions, the Congress also featured a tech exhibition hall where companies and organizations showcased their latest innovations and trading tables where companies met individually with potential partners. The Congress was bookended by closed-door working group sessions on Monday morning and all day Thursday.
Seed World LATAM was front and center throughout the Congress, covering the key takeaways from sessions and capturing perspectives from industry thought leaders. If you attended the Congress, I’d love to hear your highlights. Reach out to me at emansur@seedworldgroup.com!
For those following the Congress from a distance, Seed World LATAM kept you in the know with snapshots and perspectives posted to www.Seedworld.com and shared in our e-newsletters. Whether you were in Buenos Aires or wished you were, Seed World’s newsletters provided a great way to stay updated on all the need-to-know Congress details. If you’re not yet signed up for our FREE newsletters, sign up here.
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