b'BRIDGING THE SEED GAPHow one NGO is lifting farmers out of poverty.Marcel BruinsWHY IT MATTERS European Seed (ES): Can you tell mependence and economic sustainability People in Africa are trapped in ain a nutshell why you founded Fairand is aligned with the UN Sustainable vicious cycle of poverty and hunger.Planet and what Fair Planet is tryingDevelopment Goals (SDGs): No Poverty And it is difficult to provide themto achieve? (SDG1) and No Hunger (SDG2). To date, with food security and economicShoshan Haran (SH): It all starts withhalf a million people have been impacted opportunities. One way of helpingmy background: I was born in kibbutzby Fair Planets work. is by making high-quality seeds,Beeri in Israel and worked in its fields for suitable to local conditions, accessiblemany years. I then decided to study plantES: Why was it necessary to start and affordable to local farmers. science at the Hebrew University. AfterFair Planet? completing my Ph.D. and a post-doctoralSH: Many farmers in Africa are subsist-NGO Fair Planet is providingfellowship at Rutgers University in theence farmers who farm very small plots transfer know-how to help bridgeU.S., I joined Hazera as head of R&D col- of land. They grow their crops from the current knowledge gap thatlaborations and later served as head oflocal seeds and lack knowledge on GAP, limits smallholder farmers inLimagrains Genomic Expert Group.resulting in low yields and vulnerability to Africas uptake of existing highThese positions enabled me to developclimate change. Reaching these farm-quality seed varieties developed byan extensive network within the seeders and training them how to use high leading seed companies. Our sisterindustry. I learnt about improved seedquality seeds is extremely difficult and publication European Seed sat downvarieties with higher yields and resiliencethe current way of doing business in the with Shoshan Haran, founder andto climate change, which help farmers toseed industry, which typically serves rela-president of Fair Planet to find outincrease their productivity and income.tively large scale and/or knowledgeable how they do it. During a private trip to Africa, Ifarmers, does not fit for serving them. realized that smallholder farmers do notTherefore, another approach was needed have access to these improved varieties.to bridge the gap between the providers Their productivity is extremely low and asof the best seeds in the world and the a result, their families suffer from povertypoorest farmers. and malnutrition. I understood that something needs to be done to bridgeES: What is your approach? How the seed gap.do you engage private and public This led me to establish Fair Planet inPartners and how are they involved?2012, a non-profit organization. Our visionSH: We realized that a sustainable is a world where all farmers have equalsolution should be based on a win-win opportunities for sustainable economicbusiness model, in which both the poor growth and prosperous life.farmers and the seed developers will gain Fair Planet is managed by senioradded value. seed experts who have lifetime experi- Fair Planet established a broad alliance ences in the seed industry. We developwith leading seed companies and formed the capacity of smallholder farmers toan open aid platform, unique to the transform agriculture into a profitableindustry, through which it has access to a source of income through access to highworldwide collection of seed varieties. quality seeds and knowledge on GoodOn the other hand, Fair Planet part-Agricultural Practices (GAP). Our uniquenered with local agricultural universities Shoshan Haran operational model creates regional inde- and governmental extension services that 52/ SEEDWORLD.COMSEPTEMBER 2023'