World’s 10 largest seed sellers control half the global market
Seeds are at the core of almost everything humans eat — that’s why the tightening grip of seed-selling corporations is so worrisome. The world’s 10 largest seed-hawkers now control about half the global market, and its top three are among the world’s largest pesticide purveyors and are heavy into genetic modification. What does this mean for the sustainability-inclined farmer now pushed to do business with the behemoths? And what does GM giant Monsanto’s purchase of a key fruit-and-veg-seed distributor signal about the future of the supermarket produce aisle? Tom Philpott, our new ag-expert blogger, digs in and serves up answers.