Counting on Corn

Counting on Corn

how a few maize seeds are becoming a nation’s favourite meal

Our partner Semilla Nueva are a non-profit organisation, working in Guatemala to improve the yield, nutrients and climate resilience of maize crops. Maize is a well-loved staple, but it’s low in nutrients, which contributes to 46% of Guatemalan children being stunted. 

This past year, our partner Semilla Nueva’s healthier version of maize made up 8% of all maize sales in Guatemala. There are 17,357,886 people in the country, so that’s loads of maize. It’s not surprising that the US government has assigned $1.2 million to finding out more about the impact it’s having on all those people, and is helping to generate a $4.5 million fund to help the organisation take things to the next level. Central American governments are putting some money in the pot too. All in all, things are looking pretty good for Semilla Nueva and their maize – but it’s taken a fair bit of work to get here.  

The organisation are using a smart process called bio-fortification to get more iron and zinc into the maize. While they’re at it, they’re working to get the corn to stand up better in extreme weather. And the good news is, it’s working. 

“It hasn’t happened all at once,” says Curt Bowen, Executive Director of Semilla Nueva. “We iterate our maize seeds.” When it comes to getting their product to people, iteration is their first manoeuvre. It means they trial production and distribution of one version of the maize seed, learn from their mistakes, and correct them in the next version until they’ve nailed it.  “We’re on version seven of the seed now,” says Curt. “People prefer the flavour of this one -now we’re trying to figure out how to market it, and how to get people excited about the taste and the health benefits.”  35,000 farming families have become repeat customers for the maize, so something is going right.  

Curt has no trouble getting people worked up about an idea. “We have one message- we fight malnutrition and poverty with better corn- and we stick to that. It keeps everybody on the same page,” says Curt.  

And more and more donors are getting on that page–you can see the momentum building. “We’re so excited about where we’ve come to, and excited that people are coming on the journey with us.” Since the innocent foundation got behind Semilla Nueva’s big idea in 2021, Mulago Philanthropy, Cartier (yes that one), and the big dogs at USAID have joined their list of donors.  

We’re chuffed the innocent foundation’s been a part of it, and we’re really excited to see what these good folks do next. To celebrate the innocent foundation’s 20th birthday, we’re looking back at all the stories -big and small -that add up to our great big dream of a world without hunger.  

From one good idea, the Semilla Nueva is now sharing their healthier maize with 8% of Guatemalans, and every one counts. Follow the link for more on our #EveryOneCounts campaign, www.innocentfoundation.org/every-one-counts 

For more on Semilla Nueva, follow the link here: https://www.innocentfoundation.org/projects/semilla-nueva/

Posted by Connor Friesen on May 14, 2024