Semilla Nueva

Guatemala has the third highest rate of malnutrition in the world, with nearly half of children suffering stunted growth. We work with international institutions, farmers, and the government to develop corn varieties with higher yields, better taste, and increased nutritional value – referred to generally as biofortified corn. Biofortified corns allow farmers and families to continue growing and eating their traditional staple, while dramatically improving the nutrition of their children and the food system.

We scale biofortified corn through direct sales and collaborations with farmer groups, NGOs, and the government. Semilla Nueva also co-founded a national collaboration to promote biofortified seeds, which helped nearly 20 organizations throughout the country reach 5,000 families in 2016. Our work has changed the daily diets of 27,000 people, and we hope to reach 60,000 in 2017. 2017 also marks our first year of commercial seed sales, which we hope will eventually provide over half of our revenue.

Our work has led to rapid growth and international recognition (Forbes 30 Under 30, Huffington Post) including some of the leading awards in social entrepreneurship (Ashoka, Mulago), and we expect to reach over a million families over the next five years.