FROM OUR DESK
THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT Lisbon that just fits 
this moment.
For a few days, Lisbon becomes something rare — 
a place where the entire seed value chain shows up at 
once, bringing its questions, its pressure points and its 
next moves with it.
As you head into the ISF World Seed Congress 
2026, I want to keep this simple.
If there’s one thing we care about at Seed World 
Group, it’s this: People Connecting People.
Not in a polished, corporate way. In a real 
way. Conversations that actually go somewhere. 
Introductions that turn into partnerships. Moments 
where you meet someone you didn’t expect to, and it 
ends up mattering.
That’s why we’re here.
Don’t Just Show Up; Show Up Differently
Don’t just attend sessions. Don’t just meet with the 
same people you always see. Don’t just check the box 
on another World Seed Congress.
Be intentional — who you meet, what you ask, what 
you follow up on when you get home.
Seed World’s Madeleine Baerg, Aiden Brook and 
Petar Madjarac will be in Lisbon. If you see them, say hi. 
If you’ve got something to share, they’ll listen. If you’re 
trying to connect with someone, they’ll help make it 
happen.
That’s the role we’re here to play.
Travel Around the World in This Issue
This issue moves the same way this industry does — 
across borders, across disciplines, sometimes faster 
than expected.
You’ll start in the United States with a Seedless 
Shift, where innovation is no longer theoretical. It’s 
BY AIMEE NIELSON
Seed World U.S., Editor
Portugal Sets the Stage — What Happens 
Next Is Up to You
showing up in products, in markets and in the tension 
between what’s possible and what’s actually scaling. 
Then there’s Lorena Basso, stepping into International 
Seed Federation leadership with a perspective shaped 
by real-world volatility, not just strategy.
From there, the questions get bigger.
Where do biologicals actually deliver value, and 
where are we still asking them to do too much? How 
does an industry built on trust, certification and long 
timelines respond to a world that’s moving faster every 
year?
This industry doesn’t operate in neat boxes. What 
happens in one region shows up in another. A regula­
tory shift, a new trait, a change in input costs; none of it 
stays local for long. The conversations here reflect that 
reality, but only if we’re willing to fully engage in them.
And increasingly, the only way to make sense of it is 
to stay connected.
And that brings it back to why being here matters.
Not everything gets solved on a stage. Most of 
it doesn’t. It happens in the in-between moments — 
walking between sessions, standing over coffee, catch­
ing someone just before they head out the door. That’s 
where context gets added. That’s where ideas get 
tested. That’s where you start to see how one conver­
sation connects to another.
Lisbon gives us the setting, but it’s the people who 
make it work.
So take the extra minute. Make the introduction. Ask 
the follow-up question. What you carry home from this 
week won’t just be notes or takeaways. It will be the 
relationships you build and the perspective you gain.
If we can help make even one of those connections 
happen, then we’re doing exactly what we’re here to do.
As always, it’s an honor to partner with you,
Aimee
4  / SEEDWORLD.COM  INTERNATIONAL EDITION 2026

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