The Seven Pillars
May 24, 2025
The story of The Super-Seeders is just built not on personalities or single discoveries, but on the alignment of seven global forces. These are the Seven Pillars of the plant genetics revolution.
The story of The Super-Seeders is built not on personalities or single discoveries — but on the alignment of seven global forces. These are the Seven Pillars of the plant genetics revolution.
Each one represents a breakthrough that, on its own, changed how we think about agriculture. But together, they are reshaping its future — especially for smallholder farmers in the Global South, where the need for resilient, high-yield crops has never been greater.
Miles Hillmann
Author
Gene banks store the seeds, traits, and genetic potential of tens of thousands of plant varieties. Without this diversity, modern agriculture cannot respond to the threats of climate change, crop disease, or population growth. These collections are our living insurance policy. And yet most people don’t know they exist.
Plant breeders work at the intersection of research and reality. In the plant research centres they breed pre-bred lines from genetic material and they supply to plant breeders who develop new crop varieties suited to specific climates, conditions, and farmers’ needs. Without them, innovation would stay in the lab. Their work is generational, regional, and deeply responsive to the challenges of modern farming.
The CGIAR network of research centres has been key to preserving crop diversity and developing improved varieties for farmers worldwide. From wheat in Mexico to rice in the Philippines, these institutions link science with real-world farming needs, tackling hunger, climate change, and sustainability through shared knowledge and global cooperation.
Modern genetics builds on past advances of countless scientists from Darwin and Mendel, through Watson and Crick through to Charpentier and Doudna. It is not the purpose of this book to look at the contribution that each of these makes to plant genetics. But here are two examples of sciences that are behind and include the new genetics crucial to plant breeding. They are the understanding of plant immunity and prebreeding
The Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources enables countries to share seeds and genetic material in a structured, fair way. This global framework ensures that the world’s genetic diversity can be used for the common good, by scientists, breeders, and farmers. Without this agreement, the genetic building blocks of crop innovation would be locked away.
Once a rare and expensive process, sequencing is now central to plant breeding. Researchers can map entire genomes to identify traits, compare varieties, and track lineage. This digital understanding of crops speeds up innovation and makes it easier to work with wild relatives and underused species with hidden potential. Modern genomics is ubiquitous, and future developments will have a massive impact. Legislation will temper the speed of implementation.
Even the best crop varieties are useless if farmers can’t access them. Sustainable seed systems connect breeders to markets — ensuring high-quality seed is multiplied, distributed, and adopted. These systems also protect farmers’ rights, reward innovation, and ensure that diversity and impact reach the people who need them most.
The story of The Super-Seeders is just built not on personalities or single discoveries, but on the alignment of seven global forces. These are the Seven Pillars of the plant genetics revolution.
Gene banks may not look like much — but they hold the keys to feeding the future. As climate change and crop loss rise, these seed libraries are quietly safeguarding the genetic diversity our food system depends on. Discover why we need them more than ever.
The International Plant Treaty helps ensure the world’s most essential crops remain accessible for breeding, research, and climate resilience. In this post, we explore the story behind the treaty, from a boy collecting melon seeds in Spain to today’s digital battles over genomic data.