As the global seed industry increasingly evolves to embrace international collaboration to develop varieties adapted to diverse climates, consumer needs and agricultural practices, Agronomix has experienced an evolution of its own.
When I first joined the company 16 years ago, only two of Agronomix’s six employees were born outside Canada. As we’ve grown, that’s changed. Not because we made a conscious decision to embrace an industry trend, but because we pride ourselves on choosing the best candidate for each position. Consequently, our current staff hails from Canada, Cuba, China, Haiti, India, Israel, Nigeria, the Philippines, Russia and the United Kingdom.
The result is an amazing blend of backgrounds, cultures, languages and skills that allows our staff to communicate with clients around the world in their own language and, more importantly, with a unique understanding of regional customs, needs and concerns. This kind of diversity can only make a company stronger.
I’ll give you an example of what I mean. A few years ago, when one of our computer programmers was visiting his family in India, he took the time to speak with a client. They conversed in a shared language, but also within the context of a common cultural background. I can’t honestly tell you that this visit brought us any additional revenue. What I can report is that it deepened our bond with that client and made it possible for us to contribute more significantly to their success. I can think of no greater achievement for a company than enabling others to succeed.
The industry’s shift towards interdisciplinary approaches is also reflected at Agronomix. I’m proud to say we have four PhD plant breeders on staff who collectively have an in-depth understanding of a broad range of crops. The depth and breadth of their educations and hands-on experience across multiple countries means they’re able to speak with breeders on their own level, sharing ideas and discussing innovative approaches, all of which speeds up the development of high performing, regionally optimized plant varieties.
That’s crucial because while the seed breeding industry is trending towards globalization, it’s important that we don’t forget each region is unique, and there can be tremendous variation in local climatic conditions, agricultural practices and consumer preferences. A software development team that includes computer programmers, plant geneticists and data scientists who collectively represent a variety of technical skills, cultural perspectives, and lived experiences is critical to developing resilient, adaptable varieties.
I firmly believe that diversity is key to the success of both our company and our industry. It helps us better serve our clients wherever they’re located in the world, and has the power to ensure that the future of agriculture is bright.
