Corteva Agriscience is deepening its commitment to agricultural innovation in South Africa through strategic partnerships with premier research institutions and leading universities. These collaborations span initiatives in crop science, pest management, sustainable farming and cutting-edge breeding techniques.
By Maile Matsimela, Digital Editor at African Farming
“Our partnerships with South African research institutions represent more than just collaboration – they’re about building a sustainable future for agriculture in the region,” says Driaan Bresler, AME Seed Product Development Lead at Corteva Agriscience. “By working closely with local experts, we can develop solutions that truly address the unique challenges our farmers face.”
Each initiative is designed to address the unique challenges faced by South African farmers while boosting productivity and promoting sustainable practices. These efforts align with Corteva’s global sustainability goals, which include improving soil health, enhancing yield stability and reducing emissions to ensure long-term environmental stewardship.
Translating Research Into Impact
Corteva’s research collaborations in South Africa are already delivering tangible, on-the-ground benefits. Climate-resilient seed varieties, developed using advanced genomic tools, are improving farmers’ capacity to manage the effects of drought and increasingly erratic weather patterns.
“We’re seeing real results from our research investments,” explains Bresler. “The climate-resilient varieties we’ve developed are not just theoretical improvements, they’re helping farmers maintain productivity even when weather conditions become unpredictable.”
Corteva’s partnership in the Seed Production Technology for Africa (SPTA) initiative will help local seed producers adopt a novel non-genetically modified (non-GM) trait that enables more efficient and accurate hybrid maize seed production. By reducing the need for manual detasseling and ensuring high genetic purity, this technology makes high-quality maize hybrids more accessible and affordable for smallholder farmers across the region, supporting both food security and economic development.
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Strengthening Research and Infrastructure
Corteva operates four key research and development facilities in South Africa. This includes the Delmas Africa Technology Hub, which houses genomics and digital phenotyping tools. The Potchefstroom multi-crop research centre focuses on stress tolerance. In Rosslyn, Pretoria, the Centre for Seed Applied Technologies (CSAT) develops advanced seed treatments suited to local conditions. A fourth site in Kroonstad supports seed production through quality testing and parent-seed development.
“Our four research facilities represent a significant investment in South African agriculture,” notes Bresler. “Each facility has a specific focus, but together they create a comprehensive research ecosystem that can tackle challenges from multiple angles – from genomics to seed treatments to quality testing.”
These investments support infrastructure development and knowledge transfer, ensuring South African researchers and farmers benefit from world-class scientific tools and techniques. They enable Corteva to deliver locally adapted innovations to farmers.
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Precision Breeding and Genomics
Corteva’s commitment to precision breeding is showcased in several South African initiatives. By integrating marker-assisted breeding, genomic selection, artificial intelligence and digital phenotyping, local teams accelerate the development of high-performing crop varieties with enhanced resilience. These efforts directly address regional pressures such as climate variability, drought and pest incidence.
“Precision breeding is transforming how we approach crop development,” says Bresler. “By combining traditional breeding expertise with cutting-edge genomic tools and AI, we can develop varieties faster and with greater precision than ever before. This is particularly crucial in South Africa, where farmers face such diverse environmental challenges.”
Advanced biotechnology, including CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, increases genetic diversity for selection by making precise changes to a plant’s own DNA without introducing foreign genes, as is the case in genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Corteva collaborates with local and international partners to demonstrate practical benefits from these advanced breeding techniques to improve sustainable agriculture and grow healthy and nutritious food.
As Corteva is championing open innovation in new breeding techniques, it is making its CRISPR‑Cas9 systems available under licence to universities and research groups, often royalty-free for non-commercial, humanitarian-driven research. This approach fosters collaboration between corporate, academic and public research entities.
Policy Engagement and Stakeholder Alignment
Corteva also works actively with government, academia and industry to support a policy environment that enables the use of new breeding techniques. Through ongoing engagement with key players in the agricultural sector, it contributes to efforts promoting regulatory clarity. Corteva supports inclusive stakeholder engagement to help shape balanced and forward-looking regulatory outcomes in South Africa.
“Policy engagement is crucial for the success of agricultural innovation,” emphasises Bresler. “We need regulatory frameworks that are both science-based and practical, allowing farmers to benefit from new technologies while maintaining appropriate safety standards. Our role is to provide technical expertise to help inform these important policy decisions.”
As agriculture confronts the intertwined challenges of climate change, growth and resource constraints, Corteva’s alliance-based approach delivers locally relevant innovations that balance productivity, environmental care and inclusive development. It is through ongoing collaboration that these research-driven solutions will truly take root, ensuring South Africa’s agricultural sector thrives today and into the future.
“The future of South African agriculture depends on collaboration,” concludes Bresler. “By bringing together the best minds from industry, academia and government, we can develop solutions that not only increase productivity but also ensure sustainability for generations to come.”
