The Seeds of Sustainability

As business becomes more sophisticated and consumers are demanding higher levels of sustainability from producers the concept of the “Sustainable Value Chain” or the “Green Supply Chain” will become more important.

If your business involves anything that grows from seeds then your value chain starts at the seed level. This also means that your risk also starts at the seed level. This also means that the possibility of value adding starts at the seed level.

The area that needs strengthening in the value chain, is Seed Banks or bio-gene banks. It is estimated that some 1,400 seed banks exist in the world today, but considering the number of plant species, countries and the level of development of the vast majority of these seed banks, it represents a level of risk that is unacceptable to most industries.

It is therefore the collective responsibility of all involved in industry sectors that require the use of seeds, to develop seed banks and not just leave this vital link in the chain, to the research departments of universities or in some cases, passionate individuals.

In 2009, the global seed trade is valued at USD 36 Billion. The developed value that these seeds create runs into the Trillions. So we are not just talking about peanuts (or peanut seeds for that matter).

Sustainable Seed Banking Forum themed “Facing the Challenges of Seed Banking in the Developing World” will be hosted in the beautiful city of Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia from the 10th to 12th October, 2010

For more information visit http://www.sustainableseedbanking.com/

Upcoming Articles

• Population 10 Billion
• Keeping Your Wealth Under Your Pillow Again? - Seeds Under the Pillow
• Not in Your Comfort Zone? - Who’s seed is it really?
• The Developing World and Seed Demand
• Intellectual Property Protection and Investment Motivation
• Bringing the Investor to the Forrest!
This article was written by Nordin Abdullah, Co-Chairman, Sustainable SeedBanking Forum 2010 and Managing Director of Glenreagh Sdn Bhd.