The recently launched 'Access to Seeds Index' which ranks leading seed companies on their efforts to improve the productivity of smallholder farmers, has argued that companies must do more to increase access to seeds. The index, which is funded by the Gates Foundation and the Dutch government, is the first of its type and aims to inform the debate on the role of seed corporations in food security. Gigi Manicad, executive director of the Index’s Foundation, says leading companies in the Index view serving smallholder farmers as a business opportunity while lower-rated companies regard it as charity or corporate social responsibility. The Index has been criticized by Oxfam for failing to penalize companies for restrictive patenting.
The recently launched 'Access to Seeds Index' which ranks leading seed companies on their efforts to improve the productivity of smallholder farmers, has argued that companies must do more to increase access to seeds. The index, which is funded by the Gates Foundation and the Dutch government, is the first of its type and aims to inform the debate on the role of seed corporations in food security. Ido Verhagen, executive director of the Index’s Foundation, says leading companies in the Index view serving smallholder farmers as a business opportunity while lower-rated companies regard it as charity or corporate social responsibility. The Index has been criticized by Oxfam for failing to penalize companies for restrictive patenting.