Climate-Smart Vegetable Seeds set to drive Smallholder Resilience in Sahel and West Africa

 

With climate change intensifying across the Sahel and West Africa, East-West Seed, one of the world’s leading vegetable seed companies, is introducing new climate-smart vegetable seeds. These new seeds are designed to help smallholder farmers across the region adapt to erratic weather, protect yields and improve nutrition. 

The initiative is targeting farming communities in Northern Ghana, Northern Nigeria, and other parts of the dryland belt where rainfall patterns have become increasingly unpredictable.

East-West Seed is rolling out climate-resilient, hybrid varieties of tomato okra,and amaranth developed for short growing cycles, heat tolerance and disease resistance. These varieties offer farmers, including a growing number of young entrants into agriculture, the chance to harvest reliably and reduce losses despite challenging conditions. The company has twenty-two R&D centers across nine countries (including one in Benin & and Tanzania), adapting vegetable varieties to local climates, including Africa’s diverse agroecological zones.

“Vegetables are a fast track to better nutrition, incomes, and climate resilience,” said Pamela Afokpe, East-West Seed spokesperson based in Benin. “When farmers have access to seeds that mature quickly, withstand heat, and resist disease, they can plan with confidence and invest in the future of their farms and families.”

In West Africa, the vegetables market is projected to be worth US$8.81 billion in 2025, with an expected annual growth rate of -0.47% (CAGR 2025-2029), leading to US$8.64 billion in 2029, according to Statista.

The company, with over 2800 employees, is therefore putting research effort into lesser-known but high-potential crops. In Benin, breeders are advancing Gboma, an African leafy vegetable valued for its resilience and nutritional benefits.

Pumpkin, another nutrient-dense crop with strong tolerance to dry conditions, is being promoted as a viable commercial option in regional markets. In Uganda, Simon Groot, founder of East-West Seed and 2019 World Food Prize winner, dedicated his prize money, more than $250,000 to growing the pumpkin sector in Uganda.

Through its non-profit arm, the East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer Foundation (EWS-KT), the company works alongside farmers to share practical skills in good agricultural practices, market access, and agribusiness management. Active in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Sudan, EWS-KT reaches thousands of smallholders annually, with more than 50% of its funding coming from external partners to support scaling across Africa.

With over 650 varieties across 80 crops and decades of breeding for tropical conditions, East-West Seed continues to align its work with the growing call for climate-resilient solutions in African agriculture, ensuring that smallholder farmers, young and old, can build sustainable livelihoods from the soil they cultivate.

Founded in 1982, East-West Seed is a global leader in tropical vegetable seed innovation and was ranked number 1 in the Access to Seeds Index for its work with smallholders alongside being listed on the Fortune Change The World list of companies in 2020 and 2024. Its foundation, EWS-KT, continues to play a crucial role in making agricultural knowledge accessible and practical for farmers across the continent, having trained almost 1million farmers across Africa and Asia.

About East-West Seed

Founded in 1982 by Simon N. Groot, a sixth-generation seedsman from the Netherlands, East-West Seed is a global leader in the development and distribution of tropical vegetable seeds. The company has been ranked #1 in the Global Access to Seeds Index for its commitment to serving smallholder farmers.

East-West Seed works hand-in-hand with local breeders, agronomists, and farmers to improve food security and farmer incomes through high-quality seeds and knowledge transfer.

East-West Seed’s business model is centered around smallholder farmers as they form the vast majority of vegetable producers globally. The company supports farmers to increase the yield and quality of their crops by providing them with improved seed varieties.

East-West Seed develops tropical vegetable seeds through local market-oriented plant breeding. Varieties need to be developed under local farming conditions to make them suitable and adaptable to smallholder farmers. They breed for what the market wants. They understand the local needs and see what is happening in the market and diet. The seeds are produced on a contract farming basis, creating new income opportunities for rural communities.

(https://www.eastwestseed.com/).

About East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer Foundation

Established to bridge the gap between seed technology and farmer success, the EWS-KT Foundation provides smallholder farmers particularly women and youth with training on modern vegetable farming techniques.

Using farmer-managed demonstration plots as hubs, EWS-KT provides farmers with hands-on training in profitable and sustainable vegetable cultivation practices, paired with training in business planning and market integration. EWS-KT field staff guide farmers through every step of the crop cycle, from planning and land preparation through post-harvest handling.

Active in five African countries, the foundation partners with donors, NGOs, and governments to scale impact. (www.ews-kt.com)