At this year’s World Seed Congress in Lisbon, Seed World invited the global seed community to answer one big question for a chance to win €10,000 in advertising: what’s one thing the seed sector isn’t paying enough attention to right now?”
The goal was simple: to spark conversation. Throughout the Congress and online from around the world, seed professionals shared thoughtful, honest, insightful, and sometimes surprisingly personal perspectives on the future of the industry. Some answers were short and direct. Others read like mini vision statements for where agriculture is headed next.
And after all the entries were collected…
[Drumroll please…]
Seed World is delighted to announce ABS as the winner of the €10,000 advertising giveaway, redeemable across the entire Seed World network, including Seed World Canada, Seed World U.S., Seed World Europe, and Seed World LATAM.
Congratulations to the ABS team!
What made the contest especially engaging wasn’t just the giveaway itself, but the quality and range of ideas sparked by a single question. Again and again, participants pointed to an industry that is evolving quickly and being challenged to think beyond traditional priorities.
Many responses focused on resilience, climate pressure, biological innovation, seed health, regenerative agriculture, and the need to better connect the seed sector with consumers and broader food system conversations.
One participant wrote: “The industry still breeds primarily for yield potential, when it should be breeding for resilience under instability.”
Another added: “The winners in the next decade won’t just deliver higher yield. They’ll deliver lower risk for growers.”
Others highlighted the growing importance of soil health, microbes, and biological systems: “We have done lots of research on genetics with technologies for value-added traits, but the below-ground component called rhizosphere — which has trade relationships with microbes — is the missing link between sustainability and regenerative agriculture systems.”
Many responses focused on practical concerns facing the industry today:
- regulatory complexity
- climate volatility
- seed treatments and seed health
- biodiversity
- nutrition
- data integration
- funding for seed banks
- connecting seed innovation more closely with end consumers
Some answers were broad and visionary: “Our strength is in being grounded, reliable and with a strategy to build a resilient future for our agriculture industry.”
Others were highly technical, diving into nitrogen-fixing biology, abiotic stress tolerance, precision breeding, and integrated field performance data.
What became clear very quickly is that people across the seed sector are thinking deeply about where the industry is headed next and what it may still be overlooking.
To everyone who stopped by the Seed World–ISF Interview Corner in Lisbon, filled out an entry form, submitted a response online, or simply joined the discussion throughout the week: thank you.
The ideas, perspectives, and insights shared through this contest reminded us exactly why events like World Seed Congress matter so much. They bring people together to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, and help shape the future of the global seed industry together.
