Climate Resilience Agriculture: CFM Seeds for the Future Transformative Impacts Highlighted

The Seeds for Future programme, a signature value chain development initiative of Crown Flour Mill
(CFM) Limited, a top flour-milling firm and subsidiary of Olam Agri, has been showcased as one of the
innovative solutions to food security and climate change challenges in the African continent. The wheat
development initiative was selected and showcased by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a global
management consulting firm, at the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Week currently holding in
Libreville, Gabon.
The Climate Week, which was jointly organised by the Government of Gabon and UN development
partners such as the World Bank Group, provided a platform for governments, cities, private sector
leaders, financial institutions, and civil society to discuss opportunities to enhance climate action. Key
stakeholders showcased ambitious solutions they have embarked on, the results and the opportunity
to scale up to impact a larger group.
Ashish Pande, the Country Head, Olam Agri Nigeria, who presented virtually during one of the key
sessions at the event, highlighted the potential impact of the climate-smart, timely intervention efforts
of Olam Agri in the Nigerian wheat value chain. He explained that the Seeds for the Future programme
focuses on seed improvement, and skills development, fostering gender inclusion in the agriculture
value chain through investment in women bakers and farmers.
He said, “The selection and showcase of the Seeds for the Future initiative by BCG is an endorsement
of the initiative’s potential impact in improving the livelihood of the Nigerian people”.
“The Seeds for the Future programme aims to develop and locally supply high-yielding, climate-
resilient wheat seed varieties which have the potential to contribute to soil health, reduce carbon
footprint, and enhance the livelihood of smallholder farmers across the wheat farming belt, aside from
contributing significantly to the nation’s GDP,” Ashish added.
He mentioned that the announcement of the first-year report of the project is slated for early
September 2022.