Key Takeaways
- Gates Agricultural Innovations (Gates Ag One) and Corteva (NYSE: CTVA) have entered a collaboration to accelerate agricultural innovations for smallholder farmers.
- The partnership aims to develop novel seed technologies that enhance crop productivity and climate resilience.
- Sub-Saharan Africa’s crop yields remain a third of the global average, with climate change potentially reducing yields by up to 35% by 2050.
- The collaboration will leverage Corteva’s expertise in biotechnology and gene editing alongside Gates Ag One’s Global Access policy to ensure affordability and accessibility.
- Early-stage research includes nutrient symbiosis advancements to improve soil efficiency and sustainability.
Gates Ag One and Corteva to Accelerate Seed Innovations for Smallholder Farmers
Gates Agricultural Innovations (Gates Ag One) and Corteva, Inc. (Profile) have announced a strategic collaboration to advance agricultural innovations that support global food security.
By combining Corteva’s leadership in agricultural biotechnology with Gates Ag One’s mission to bring breakthrough technologies to smallholder farmers, the initiative will focus on seed technologies designed to boost crop productivity and climate resilience.
Joe Cornelius, CEO of Gates Ag One, stated: “It’s exciting to imagine the possibilities that a collaboration like this could help deliver. This is especially important for Gates Ag One’s mission to ensure that agricultural innovations can better meet the needs and realities of smallholder farmers.”
Smallholder farmers—particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia—often face disproportionate climate risks, despite contributing minimally to climate change. Current crop yields in sub-Saharan Africa stand at only a third of the global average, and climate change could reduce yields by up to 35% by 2050.
Leveraging Cutting-Edge Biotechnology to Enhance Sustainability
The partnership will prioritize biotechnology and gene-editing innovations, with an emphasis on nutrient symbiosis technologies. These advancements aim to:
✔ Enhance crops’ ability to utilize naturally available nutrients from the air and soil.
✔ Improve yields while reducing dependency on synthetic fertilizers.
✔ Strengthen climate resilience for smallholder farmers in vulnerable regions.
While still in early stages, the research has the potential to increase productivity and contribute to environmental sustainability in global food production.
Sam Eathington, Chief Technology and Digital Officer at Corteva Agriscience, commented: “Innovation in agriculture is helping solve some of the world’s toughest challenges, including food insecurity. Collaborations like this will not only expand global access to advanced technologies, but deliver breakthroughs that benefit farmers and consumers by making it possible to grow more food on roughly the same amount of land.”
Gates Ag One & Corteva: Ensuring Global Access and Affordability
A key component of this collaboration is Gates Ag One’s Global Access policy, which ensures that technologies developed through this initiative will be made widely available and affordably accessible for smallholder farmers.
As a long-term effort, this partnership will target a range of scientific discoveries that align with Gates Ag One’s goal of providing smallholder farmers with resilient and sustainable agricultural solutions.
