INTERVIEW

Alina Mihai, Executive Director, Romanian Seed Industry Alliance (AISR)

What are the key components of your organization’s sustainability strategy, and how do they align with your overall business goals? Is there any challenge specific to your industry?

Climate change, water scarcity and biodiversity loss are among the most pressing challenges of our time.

Also, let’s not forget that, in the last half century, humanity has consumed more than nature can regenerate. At the same time, the world’s population continues to grow, but we face an aging population and growing consumption. Poverty, inequality, disease and hunger remain pressing challenges for society, and in some parts of the world the situation is increasingly dramatic. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that humanity cannot continue at its current level of resource consumption. The world needs to find a new balance between production and consumption. In this context, the Romanian Seed Industry Alliance, through its members, responds to the current needs to produce more with fewer resources and offers farmers the best seeds, which meet the needs of the population.

 

Can you describe the specific steps your organization is taking to transition from traditional business/ business as usual practices to more sustainable ones?

AISR members, through their activities, accelerate their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight against climate change. Our members have well-defined and targeted sustainability strategies that will help increase the resilience of our global food system. Their main objective is the quality, safety and sustainability of agriculture through cutting-edge science and innovative solutions for crops.

 

How do you measure and track the progress of your sustainability initiatives, and what metrics or benchmarks do you use?

Each AISR member has its own ways of measuring progress.

 

What challenges have you encountered in the transition to a sustainable business model, and how have you addressed them?

The agricultural sector is the most vulnerable to climate change. We work closely with farmers to provide climate-adapted products, while promoting sustainable agricultural practices to mitigate the impact of climate change.

 

How do you engage and motivate your employees, customers, suppliers and other relevant stakeholders, to support and participate in your sustainability efforts?

There is no specific standard, also each AISR member has its own ways.

 

What do you consider will be the most pressing challenges that the company will need to address in the next 5 years in order to maintain economic performance while also achieving sustainability goals? (For example, economic/geopolitical instability, energy prices, climate change, limited natural resources, talent acquisition and retention, supply chain issues, global conflicts, etc.)

The biggest obstacles are given by regional geopolitical instability that comes with economic uncertainties. Romania’s location on the European map was not always the most favorable. Then, the difficult communication with state institutions, as NGOs and authorities do not always manage to collaborate effectively and put the beneficiary’s interest first. And the third obstacle is the lack of predictability.