Advanta Seeds

The spectacle of life blossoming from seeds is a poignant reminder of nature’s indomitable spirit, even amid adversities.

It’s a symbol of hope and resilience that flourishes despite the encroaching shadows of uncertainty cast by a rapidly changing climate and food security.

Heeding the clarion call to preserve the environment while amplifying food productivity, Advanta Seeds finds its purpose well-aligned.

Advanta is a UPL group seed company with deep roots in over 80 countries. With the heart of a farmer, the firm has over six decades of experience in plant genetics.

By championing the cultivation of highly nutritious, climate-smart, high-temperature tolerant, and eco-friendly crops, Advanta is not merely sowing seeds for a robust food system but is nurturing a legacy of resilience and ecological harmony.

“Providing growers with options is pivotal. Crop rotation and diversification are instrumental in reducing dependency on a single crop, bolstering the resilience of farmers. Our collaboration with numerous research partners aims to provide the latest seed technology for farmers to address emerging challenges like pests, diseases, and herbicides—repercussions of the changing biodiversity due to climate change,” says Bhupen Dubey, Global CEO.

This ethos finds a resonant chord in LatAm, where smallholder farmers form the backbone of rural areas.

Given their limited landholdings, the economic viability of these farmers often teeters on the edge. Advanta’s seeds— characterized by higher yields, enhanced productivity, and seamless adaptation to local conditions—emerge as a breath of fresh air in this landscape.

As a global leader in sustainable crop technologies for tropical and sub-tropical corn, vegetables, sunflower, and sorghum, the company has been meticulously examining and developing cultivation practices for a range of crops. Among these, sweet corn has emerged with the most promising results.

A comprehensive approach was orchestrated to ensure successful adaptation, encompassing training for growers and establishing a robust technology transfer program for industry partners tailored to each sowing cycle for every participating country. This initiative bore remarkable success, with some growers reporting a profit surge between 18 to 33 percent.

Not just individual farming, but Advanta’s commitment to environmental stewardship also extends to collaborative initiatives with other companies and government bodies.

A noteworthy collaboration with AgTech firm iCrop in Brazil showcases Advanta’s strategic approach to water conservation in sorghum cultivation. This partnership entailed thorough monitoring of water usage across all sorghum production, employing precise irrigation only when necessary. Advanta not only conserved a significant amount of water but reduced electricity usage, promoting an environment conducive to robust crop cultivation.

The firm’s engagement with the “Zero Carbon Argentine Program” underscores its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This government-driven initiative, aimed at environmentally mapping national production and certifying the carbon balance of Argentine export products, benefitted from Advanta’s vital contribution.

The firm is certified and dedicated to calculating and minimizing the carbon footprint in seed production, aligning with the ‘Net Zero’ target.

Through a pilot program for ‘Carbon Zero’ sorghum seeds, astonishingly, Advanta’s sorghum seeds produced 0.8 CO2/kg, 55 percent less than the global standard.

Moreover, by providing data and consultation on capturing emissions in the sorghum seed production process, Advanta’s role in developing a manual for carbon footprint calculation now serves as a valuable resource for best practices in the seed and grain harvested sector at the farmer level.

Pablo de Lafuente, regional head of Americas, sheds light on two other innovative technologies, igrowth and aphix^™, which have emerged as key players in fortifying agricultural resilience.

Igrowth^™, for instance, marks a significant stride in weed control technology, empowering farmers to enhance yields and reclaim soils previously lost to weed infestation. Similarly, the launch of aphix^™ technology tackled the menace of the Sugarcane Aphid (SCA) issue in sorghum fields in 2020, becoming a boon for the farmers.

“We continually endeavor to raise awareness about both nutritionally rich and climate-resilient crops, with sorghum standing out as a prime example. Our ‘Field Days’ campaign serves as a platform to accentuate the nutritional value of sorghum, as animal feed and a wholesome choice for human consumption,” says de Lafuente.

In Argentina, Advanta forges partnerships with local culinary artisans to celebrate and innovate with sorghum. Through live cooking demonstrations and curated sorghum-based recipes, they offer a tactile experience of sorghum’s versatility. Such initiatives are particularly noteworthy given the relatively low awareness regarding sorghum’s ‘superfood’ status among the Argentine populace.

Advanta’s mission is to foster an informed community of growers and consumers. The future begins with a single seed, and the firm stands tall in building a greener and healthier planet.