Our Work
Who We Are
Guatemala
Vía 4, 01-00, Zona 4
Edificio Campus Tecnológico
Torre 2, Oficina 1102
Guatemala, Guatemala 01004
USA
Semilla Nueva
P.O. BOX 8643
Boise, ID 83707
On March 6, US Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made opening remarks at a full committee hearing on global food security, discussing the world’s collective failure to tackle this persistent problem, and named Semilla Nueva’s collaboration with USAID as an example of what is needed to improve US foreign aid.
Risch shared data on the extent of the global food security crisis, which, despite billions of dollars spent annually by the US and other countries, leaves 783 million people around the globe suffering from food shortage, 333 million facing acute food insecurity, and an estimated 47 million people on the brink of famine. “These are not just statistics. They are actual people,” Risch said.
Risch explained that new partnerships and approaches to US foreign assistance are needed to overcome long-standing problems such as unclear objectives and excessive bureaucracy of US foreign aid. He singled out Semilla Nueva’s approach as one that works:
Semilla Nueva has developed a market-based approach to fight malnutrition and rural poverty in countries where maize is the staple. We breed maize seeds with high levels of zinc, iron, and protein, and yields approaching some of the best seeds on the market. We produce these seeds in partnership with local seed companies and work with governments to implement seed subsidies to make the seeds available to the poorest of the poor. According to Semilla Nueva’s CEO, Curt Bowen, small farming families in Guatemala, 70% of whom live on less than a dollar a day per person, choose these seeds because of their yields and resilience to drought and storms. “Farmers switching to our seeds earn an average of $180 while helping their families and other maize consumers eliminate or significantly reduce major nutritional deficiencies.”
The USAID collaboration cited by Richter is a project through which USAID Guatemala and Semilla Nueva are co-designing a national subsidy program to be managed jointly by the Guatemalan Government, local seed producers, and Semilla Nueva. If funded, the project will help us reach 40,000 farmers who will improve the nutrition of over 1.5 million people. The project involves a “fixed amount award,” meaning Semilla Nueva will receive funding in blocks based on achieving milestones and results (seed produced, seed sold, families reached, etc.) instead of the traditional cost reimbursement approach, which requires intensive reporting and paperwork and delays. This is just one example of the efficiencies Risch was referring to in his remarks.
Partnerships and an ongoing commitment to searching for efficiencies and improving the way we get things done are key to our strategy. We are excited to focus on our first national subsidy in Guatemala, as we work to expand our model to El Salvador this year and Honduras next year, and test seeds with partners in Africa in 2026. This progress would not be possible without the growing family of donors, mentors, and partners who make our work possible.
Meet Don Zacarias Bautista Martínez from Comapa, Jutiapa, in southeast Guatemala. He’s a hardworking farmer and father of five who feeds his family with what he grows. His only income comes from maize. His family’s bank account is a big plastic grain silo that holds 2,000 pounds of corn (worth about $400). They sell part of it whenever they need to pay for the kids’ education or buy necessary goods such as medicine or clothes. They also eat about 8 pounds of that corn every day. In good years in the past, they could almost fill the silo, but it would still run out every year. In bad years, they only had enough corn for a few months. Just like most corn farmers, one look inside the silo is all you need to know how safe or stressed the family feels during that season.
Three years ago, Zacarias received a bag of free biofortified seeds from Semilla Nueva and has planted more every year since. He finds that our Fortaleza hybrids are much higher yielding than the seeds he used to sow and hopes to put two of his oldest children in university with the extra income he earns from our seeds. Now Zacharias fills his silo to the brim every year, and last year his family sold $900 of maize to the market. He knows our seeds are more nutritious and give his family strength (“fortaleza,” in Spanish). “They’re more resistant to droughts and storms, too,” he says. “I still plant part of my land with heirloom seeds, and this year, we lost most of that harvest to strong winds. Without Fortaleza, we would have run out of maize.”
But what Zacarias loves the most about our seeds is their price. “Most farmers like me need improved seeds to increase our yields. But before Fortaleza, we couldn’t afford them,” he tells us. Semilla Nueva’s subsidies allow our seeds to be sold at a price he can afford, and their yields allow him to make enough money to buy even more seeds in the following year. Zacharias has recommended Fortaleza to all the farmers he knows. Now, almost 50 farmer families in his community are filling up their silos and earning hundreds of dollars of extra income and filling their kitchens and feeding their families with nutritious tortillas.
Farmers like Don Zacarias are the best advocates for our work. They want better seeds at prices all farmers can afford, and we at Semilla Nueva want to make sure their voices are heard.
While Semilla Nueva is based in Guatemala, it was really born in Boise, Idaho, rooted in co-founder Curt Bowen’s upbringing on a small organic farm. Its launch in 2010 and its subsequent evolution owe much to the involvement of numerous Boise community members, many of whom remain involved today. Kathleen and Ben Simko are a case in point.
The couple’s journey with Semilla Nueva began in 2011, while Kathleen served as a District Governor for Rotary and helped secure one of Semilla Nueva’s first project grants. Curt quickly recognized Kathleen’s energy and skills, inviting her to join the organization as one of its first board members, focused on identifying new funding opportunities to fuel its mission.
A year later, husband Ben, an entomologist with a passion for sustainable agriculture, joined the Technical Advisory Board to share his expertise with the organization’s small staff. He explains, “Semilla Nueva was in its infancy when we first became involved, but Curt’s enthusiasm and vision inspired us. We could sense the organization’s tremendous potential.”
Semilla Nueva’s mission resonates deeply with Kathleen’s and Ben’s values of supporting communities in need. Over the years, they developed strong bonds with Guatemala and its farming families, on trips during which Ben worked closely with staff and farmers on improved agricultural practices.
Earlier this year, Kathleen introduced her grandson Jack to Semilla Nueva and the complex challenges facing rural communities in Guatemala. “We wanted Jack to experience daily life in a place like Guatemala, and to understand the importance of giving back through an organization like Semilla Nueva in the future.””This trip allowed me to reflect on how far Semilla Nueva has progressed over the past decade,” Kathleen continued. “Curt has formed an exceptional team committed to doing one thing—biofortified maize seeds—exceptionally well. Ben and I are excited to see where the organization is in another ten years!”
In 2018, just over 4,000 small-scale farmers planted Semilla Nueva’s biofortified seeds. This number tripled to over 12,000 farmers in 2021, and this year, over 20,000 farmers will plant our biofortified seeds, improving the nutrition of nearly 600,000 maize consumers. By 2026, 40,000 farmers will plant our seeds, feeding 1M consumers. Our long-term goal (2036) is for 3M farmers in Central America and Sub-Saharan Africa to plant biofortified maize, feeding 100M annually.
Expanding our reach depends on intensive and constantly evolving annual seed production plans. In 2024, we are aiming to double our seed production. This goal means coordinating the production of 8,500 bags of seed on 225 acres cultivated by 23 small-scale partner farmers. It involves providing technical support for three partner seed companies responsible for producing and selling another 6,500 bags of our seed; and it requires ensuring the quality of seeds delivered to our network of over 100 agrodealers around the country. Our Seed Production Coordinator, Nelcy López, leads this critical work.
Nelcy is a graduate of Zamorano University—the leading agricultural university in Latin America. She joined Semilla Nueva after years of supervising large-scale agricultural production operations in Guatemala. “There aren’t a lot of women doing this kind of work in Central America,” she says. “But I love it! It shows others in the industry and the farming families we serve that women have important roles in agriculture.”
When asked what she likes most about her work, Nelcy says she enjoys building relationships with the farmers who produce our seeds and knowing the impact our seeds will have on those who plant them. “In 2022, farmers already purchasing improved seeds earned an additional $147-$260 more when switching to our biofortified hybrids. Subsistence farmers using improved seeds for the first time saw their incomes increase by $277-$392 on average. Add to this the nutritional benefits of our seeds and their resistance to storms and drought, and I can go to sleep every night knowing that I am helping to make a real difference in my country.”
As a relatively small nonprofit, Semilla Nueva may seem an unlikely player in the world of advanced crop breeding. Dr. Enrique Kreff, Semilla Nueva’s Director of Research and Development, explains, “We do it because nobody else has developed biofortified maize seeds that can truly compete in the market. We specialize in breeding nutritious, biofortified maize seeds that outperform seeds used by 97% of Guatemalan farmers in terms of yields, climate resilience, appearance, and even taste.”
Enrique joined Semilla Nueva in May of this year. He previously spearheaded the Argentinian government’s maize breeding program and then spent nearly two decades in the private sector leading Pioneer’s maize breeding in Argentina, developing or testing the seeds responsible for over 30% of Argentina’s maize production. Enrique’s expertise includes unraveling the genetic makeup behind specific traits, like resistance to certain pests or diseases, and using those genes to improve new seeds for the market.
Initially, Semilla Nueva worked closely with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) to produce and distribute biofortified maize hybrids developed by CIMMYT. Now that we are launching our own, internally developed hybrids, CIMMYT continues to serve as an essential source of technical advice.
According to Enrique, “Our technical network also includes scientists in the private sector and academia, and a Board of Advisors comprised of some of the world’s top crop breeders. Together, we’re exploring the use of gene markers and gene editing that will drastically reduce time and costs in developing new hybrids while adhering to non-GMO standards.”
A lot lies ahead for Semilla Nueva. In El Salvador, the government is testing our seeds for its national seed subsidy program for small farmers and in Honduras we are registering our seeds for eventual production and sale by Honduran seed companies.
Enrique adds, “We’re excited about the potential of several of our hybrids currently under development. In a few years, for the first time anywhere, we believe biofortified hybrids will match the performance of the best maize seeds available in the market—an accomplishment that will revolutionize maize production and consumption as we expand our work in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa.”
Semilla Nueva has just ended another successful field day season with one last event in the sunny town of Cuilapa, Santa Rosa, a two-hour drive away from the capital.
Every year between February and May, at the height of the dry season, and just before farmers choose the seed they will plant for the year, our field teams travel around the country, organizing field days to promote our biofortified maize seeds. It’s hard work to gather this many farmers, but it’s worth it.
Our teams post flyers in popular agrodealers’ shops, send WhatsApp invitations to farmers and community leaders, make countless calls, and even drive hours to some of Guatemala’s most isolated communities to make sure our invites reach those who’ll benefit the most from our seeds.
When farmers choose a new seed, they want to know what to expect. They like to see for themselves how it grows in the field and learn new techniques to maximize their harvests. Our field days are the perfect opportunity for them to get this information.
During these events, farmers learn about our seed’s yields and nutritional benefits. We explain how our subsidy program allows us to sell seeds at such a low price, and answer questions about how tall the plant grows, how well it resists certain pests or diseases, which fertilizer to use, and how much to apply.
Field days take place on Semilla Nueva demonstration parcels located around the country, where farmers can observe the plants’ attractive characteristics, such as uniform height, strong and abundant roots, and strong stems, which help them respond better to extreme weather conditions.
Field days are special moments for us. They allow us to meet and build relationships with farmers from all over the country, even the most marginalized ones who do not have access to improved seeds due to low incomes, geographical distance or lack of access to digital communication. Farmers learn about our seed’s economic and health benefits, where to buy them, and how to grow them. They even get to try our tasty biofortified tortillas.
These events also allow us to get feedback from farmers and better understand their needs. Depending on the region they are from, farmers face different challenges and have different expectations regarding what constitutes a good maize seed. We use everything we learn during our field days to develop even better biofortified seeds for the future. In this sense, field days are just as helpful for us as they are for farmers – and well worth spending a day in the blazing sun.
Semilla Nueva is recruiting an HR and Recruitment Manager to lead human resources, hiring, and recruiting. The position is designed for a fully bilingual individual in Guatemala who excels at communication, understanding complex ideas, and finding matches between good people and challenging job opportunities. This position will help develop new positions, promote the organization externally, design and run hiring processes, support the creation of team culture, and supervise our HR coordinator who leads day-to-day HR activities.
Semilla Nueva develops high-yielding, climate-resilient maize seeds that have been conventionally bred (non-GMO) to have higher levels of the most important missing nutrients: zinc, iron, and quality
protein. Our approach to large-scale adoption of these seeds relies on three strategies:
Our goal is for a minimal amount of subsidy to support hundreds of thousands of farming families to use biofortified seeds, consume biofortified maize, and sell biofortified maize into the market, while improving their incomes. The biofortified maize sold in the market will be purchased and eaten by millions of poor consumers, improving the nutrition of these populations. Our seed was sold by thr seed companies in 2022 in Guatemala, reaching over 20,000 farmers and feeding 800,000 people. Our seed is in testing by the governments of El Salvador and Honduras, and in development for Eastern Africa.
Required:
Salary: $40k – $45k / year, Commensurate with experience
Before applying, please review our website, blog, and Annual Report which are found at
www.semillanueva.org. Please send to trabajo@semillanueva.org with the subject line “HR and
Recruitment Manager – your name”
Semilla Nueva is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to sustaining a diverse community with a work environment that is welcoming, respectful, and encouraging to all. We foster a culture of inclusion that celebrates and cultivates diversity along multiple dimensions, including race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, out of home care, age, national origin, socioeconomic status, religion, ability, culture, and experience.
In 2011, Semilla Nueva launched the world’s first social enterprise dedicated to the development, production, and sale of more nutritious, biofortified corn seed directly to small farming families. With a strong commitment to reaching the most vulnerable farmer households in Guatemala, Semilla Nueva is taking its efforts to scale through an ambitious, 3-year USAID-funded activity, ProMaize. The ProMaize project aims to scale a public-private partnership that creates and strengthens the market for high-yield biofortified maize seeds. Based on Semilla Nueva’s experience, key results from this effort include increased maize yields and rural incomes and reduced under-nutrition in Guatemala. Semilla Nueva is seeking a motivated, experienced individual to lead this project and to build the partnerships, systems and capacities needed to:
1) Continue improvement of the biofortified maize breeding program to sustain high yields.
2) Expand availability of high-performing, affordable bio-fortified maize seed to the Western Highlands of Guatemala and
3) Establish an appropriate (government-supported) subsidy that enables seed companies to sell biofortified seed at prices accessible to farmers normally not reached by the market.
The ProMaize Chief of Party will also manage a talented team that is committed to creating evidence for future expansion, specifically: evaluating the impact of biofortified corn consumption on the biological nutrition status of women and children under five years of age, as well as the economic impacts of new seeds on farmers’ incomes.
This position reports to Semilla Nueva’s Senior Operations Director and will collaborate with key technical partners, Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología Agricolas (ICTA), Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA) and Instituto de Nutrición de Centro América y Panamá INCAP, as well as key Government of Guatemala ministries and Congressional members. The COP will have< both supervisory and strategic responsibilities and the ideal candidate will have experience leading USAID-funded projects and implementing programs that result in measureable improvements for poverty and nutrition in Guatemala.
Semilla Nueva develops high-yielding, climate-resilient maize seeds that have been conventionally
bred (non-GMO) to have higher levels of the most important missing nutrients: zinc, iron, and quality
protein. Our approach to large-scale adoption of these seeds relies on three strategies:
Our goal is for a minimal amount of subsidy to lead hundreds of thousands or millions of farming
families to use biofortified seeds, consume biofortified maize, and sell biofortified maize into the market, while improving their incomes. The biofortified maize sold in the market will be purchased and eaten by millions of poor consumers, improving the nutrition of these populations.
Education: Masters degree or higher in agriculture, public health/nutrition, economics, development studies or related field.
Experience: At least 10 years of progressive responsibility working in agriculture, marketing,
nutrition or related fields. Prior experience working in Guatemala and at least 5 years’
experience in a senior management role leading complex agricultural or nutrition development
programs.
Required Skills/Experience:
Desired:
Languages: English and Spanish fluency required.
Travel: Ability to undertake field travel (up to 25%).
The Chief of Party will be an experienced manager whose responsibilities include:
To apply please send your CV and a brief, 2-4 bullet point explanation of why you think you may be a
good fit for us, and why we may be a good fit for you. Please send to contact@semillanueva.org with
the subject, Chief of Party, ProMaize, and your last name.
Semilla Nueva is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to sustaining a diverse community with a work environment that is welcoming, respectful, and encouraging to all. We foster a culture of inclusion that celebrates and cultivates diversity along multiple dimensions, including race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, out of home care, age, national origin, socioeconomic status, religion, ability, culture, and experience.
Over the last years, we have continually refined and strengthened our data collection practices ranging from marketing analyses to home consumption surveys. Our next level of growth will depend on a refined and high-quality strategy to measure our corn’s economic and nutritional impact. The Research and Data Manager’s role is to establish priorities and manage expectations with regards to the collection, review, and deployment of data. As our research and data manager, you’ll play a crucial role in analyzing organization data and generating valuable insights. You understand the impact of your work in supporting informed decision-making and strategic planning within Semilla Nueva’s purpose. The role is crucial to effectively collect data and interpret it correctly.
To ensure success as a Research and Data Manager you should have an analytical background, a passion for data processing, and a flair for presenting complex concepts. A top-notch R&D Manager will be adept at using figures, datasets, and reports.
The R&D Manager will lead our impact evaluation, reporting, co-lead the development and publishing of third-party impact evaluations and assist in program design. This position will report to the R&L Director and collaborate closely with the Leadership team. He/she will significantly shape the direction of Semilla Nueva’s impact evaluation as we grow in both scale and quality. This position will be translating data into compelling external materials such as reports and applications as well as leading fund research processes for grants specifically related to impact evaluation.
The position will require collaboration across teams and will be based primarily in our main office in Guatemala City. The position will require frequent travel to corn-growing areas across the country and our Experimental Center to oversee and assess survey implementation and quality.
Semilla Nueva develops high-yielding, climate-resilient maize seeds that have been conventionally bred (non-GMO) to have higher levels of the most important missing nutrients: zinc, iron, and quality protein. Our approach to large-scale adoption of these seeds relies on three strategies:
Our goal is for a minimal amount of subsidy to support hundreds of thousands of farming families to use biofortified seeds, consume biofortified maize, and sell biofortified maize into the market, while improving their incomes. The biofortified maize sold in the market will be purchased and eaten by millions of poor consumers, improving the nutrition of these populations. Our seed was sold by three seed companies in 2022 in Guatemala, reaching over 20,000 farmers and feeding 800,000 people. Our seed is in testing by the governments of El Salvador and Honduras, and in development for Eastern Africa.
Required:
Desired:
To apply please send your CV to trabajo@semillanueva.org with the subject, Research and Data Manager and your last name.
Feel free to send any recent publications and/or 2-3 bullet points of why you think you would be a good fit for the role and we may be a good fit for you.
Semilla Nueva is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to sustaining a diverse community with a work environment that is welcoming, respectful, and encouraging to all. We foster a culture of inclusion that celebrates and cultivates diversity along multiple dimensions, including race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, out of home care, age, national origin, socioeconomic status, religion, ability, culture, and experience.
The M&E Associate Manager will lead our impact evaluation, reporting, co-lead the development and publishing of third-party impact evaluations and assist in program design. This position will report to the R&L Manager and collaborate closely with the Leadership team.
Over the last three years, we have continually refined and strengthened our data collection practices ranging from marketing analyses to home consumption surveys. Our next level of growth will depend on a refined strategy to measure our corn’s economic and nutritional impact. This position will be responsible for developing survey instruments, training staff on their use, quality control for data collection, and data evaluation. He/she will significantly shape the direction of Semilla Nueva’s impact evaluation as we grow in both scale and quality.
The position will require collaboration across teams and will be based primarily in our main office in Guatemala City. The position will require frequent travel to corn-growing areas across the country and our Experimental Center to oversee and assess survey implementation and quality.
The position could be a good fit for someone that wants research experience in preparation to apply to graduate school in economics, agriculture economics, public policy, nutrition, or a related field. The M&E manager will work closely with PIs based at the Paris School of Economics, the University of Chicago, and University of Colorado Denver.
Semilla Nueva develops high-yielding, climate-resilient maize seeds that have been conventionally bred (non-GMO) to have higher levels of the most important missing nutrients: zinc, iron, and quality protein. Our approach to large-scale adoption of these seeds relies on three strategies:
Our goal is for a minimal amount of subsidy to support hundreds of thousands of farming families to use biofortified seeds, consume biofortified maize, and sell biofortified maize into the market, while improving their incomes. The biofortified maize sold in the market will be purchased and eaten by millions of poor consumers, improving the nutrition of these populations. Our seed was sold by three seed companies in 2022 in Guatemala, reaching over 20,000 farmers and feeding 800,000 people. Our seed is in testing by the governments of El Salvador and Honduras, and in development for Eastern Africa.
Required:
Desired:
To apply please send your CV to trabajo@semillanueva.org with the subject, M&E Manager and your last name.
Feel free to send any recent publications and/or 2-3 bullet points of why you think you would be a good fit for the role and we may be a good fit for you.
Semilla Nueva is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to sustaining a diverse community with a work environment that is welcoming, respectful, and encouraging to all. We foster a culture of inclusion that celebrates and cultivates diversity along multiple dimensions, including race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, out of home care, age, national origin, socioeconomic status, religion, ability, culture, and experience.