Organic seed cultivation to serve as a new strategy for farmers considering sustainable agricultural practices

Increasing awareness among consumers regarding challenges associated with conventional farming practices will boost organic seed industry growth.

Over the past few years, the organic seed trend has been taking the world by storm, powered mainly by the rising inclination of consumers toward cleaner and naturally sourced food products. Despite being in existence since the 1900s, industrialization and massive population explosions led farmers to abandon organic farming practices in favor of more mass-production-friendly practices designed for larger, standardized crop yields with less manpower. 

These practices, which quickly became the norm and are being used even today, involve the use of synthetic pesticides derived mostly from natural gas or crude petroleum and have proven to be harmful to health, both human and environmental. Each year, over 385 million cases of pesticide poisoning are reported, highlighting the importance of prompt action in relation to this issue.

As governments and consumer populations alike continued to grow more cognizant of this issue over the past few decades, interest in organic farming and organic food has soared globally. This is evident from various initiatives, like the Protect Americas Children from Toxic Pesticides project introduced in 2020, aimed at closing the loopholes keeping harmful pesticide formulations on the market and fostering the growth of organic food production. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major contributor to this shift, shedding light on the importance of organically sourced food products that cater to the evolving wellness, nutrition, and personal health needs of consumers. 

The burgeoning organic movement has thus paved the way for massive changes in the agricultural ecosystem, notably the rapid rise of the organic seed market, which is set to surpass USD 6.7 billion by 2027, as per Global Market Insights Inc. estimates. 

Favorable regulatory initiatives help address potential roadblocks to organic seed cultivation

The benefits of organic seeds, critical to helping organic farmers comply with regulatory mandates, have now become an essential tool for sustainability in modern agricultural systems. However, despite the growing awareness regarding the merits of organically produced seeds, some producers continue to source on-organic seeds for a major part of their operations. Multiple reasons are driving this behavior, including unavailability of certain seed varieties in organic form, insufficient seed quantities as well as inadequate desirable traits in the crop. 

Over 70% of organic seed cultivators have also expressed that erratic climate conditions and extreme weather events are major roadblocks for the organic seed market. From impacts on pollination and seed production due to wildfire smoke to lack of desirable rainfall, these climatic conditions assert a massive impact on the cultivation of organic seeds. 

Fortunately, regulatory bodies are responding in earnest to address these challenges by implementing various research initiatives and policies aimed at enhancing the resilience of organic seed systems and crops.

In March 2022, for instance, the Government of Canada’s Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada department announced over $750,000 worth of investment toward SeedChange, a project aimed at enhancing the seed system in Canada to develop more climate resistant, organic grain and vegetable seed varieties.

Organic seed industry players facilitate evolution in the agricultural ecosystem through targeted strategic activities

Aside from governmental and regulatory support, the expansion of the organic seed market in recent years is also attributed greatly to efforts from major stakeholders in the agricultural ecosystem. From food companies to farming industry giants to retailers, several entities are undertaking targeted strategic maneuvers to bridge the gap between organic farming and the food market, through innovations in organic plant breeding activities. 

For instance, in September 2021, Bayer announced the expansion of its organic vegetable seed offerings, under the banner of Vegetables by Bayer, an initiative aimed at promoting organically produced seeds. Focused on authorized organic cultivation of three main crops, cucumber, tomato, and sweet pepper under the De Ruiter and Seminis vegetable seed brands, the primary objective of the portfolio expansion initiative was to accommodate the ever-increasing consumer need for high-quality organic seeds.

More recent efforts include Soli Organic’s multi-year partnership with the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences’ global plant breeding experts in January 2022. This collaboration was initiated as an attempt to herald the next generation of indoor-grown, organic commercial produce over the coming five years. As per the deal, this would be achieved using advanced analytical instrumentation for the analysis of seed genetics as well as identification and optimization of aroma, flavor, nutrition, and yield traits of the crops.

Seeds have long been considered a crucial first link in the food production chain. By adopting more sustainable agricultural practices like synthetic chemical-free farming and placing a strong emphasis on soil and plant health, organic seed cultivators are paving the way toward a new seed system. This will become a solution for climate change, pesticide-related environmental risks, and other daunting challenges affecting agricultural progress, and give a substantial push to the global organic seed market.

This article was initially published in AgroPages' '2022 Organic Farming' magazine