Syngenta Annual Review 2010 - CEO Water Mandate

Syngenta
Annual Review 2010
Contributing to food security
10
Better solutions
for the farmer of
the future
“The task of increasing food availability through
production on a constant area of land with
reduced inputs is such an enormous challenge
that no useful approach or technology
can be ignored.”
Reaping the benefits: science and the sustainable intensification
of global agriculture, 2009
The Royal Society
Find out more
Demonstrating value to
smallholder rice farmers
In China, 100 million farmers grow the rice
that is a staple for 1.3 billion people, yet
almost all of them are smallholders.
Demonstrating the value of properly used
Syngenta solutions to these growers has
not been easy in the past.
To show farmers how to reduce the use
of pesticides while increasing yields, the
company’s local Crop Protection team
began collaborating with China’s National
Agro-Tech Extension Center (NATESC).
Farmers in each of the 10 major rice
production provinces were recruited and
trained on how to calibrate equipment,
when to spray, and how to use Syngenta
products that require fewer applications –
such as VIRTAKO ® and ARMURE ® .
Now three years old, the program has
shown that farmers can grow more using
50 percent less pesticide, and generating
an additional $300 in yield per hectare
on average.
Chinese growers and government
agencies have taken notice. Syngenta
not only increased market share, but
also was honored in 2010 with a prize for
Outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility
Performance, from the China Association
of Enterprises with Foreign Investment
and the China Charity Federation.
www.syngenta.com/ar2010
“I’ve never seen a pesticide rate
reduction technology generate this
level of excitement and enthusiasm
among farmers. The benefit of this
program is obvious. I am very
proud to promote it.”
Prof. Ducai Liu
Syngenta Technical Manager,
Yangtzu Business Unit, China
Featured above: Prof. Ducai Liu (left) and
Diyun Liang, Ministry of Agriculture.
Syngenta values farm work – we see the people in
rural communities as our business partners. As with
any business, farmers must have the skills and tools
to prosper. Our contribution goes beyond providing
technologies: we offer advanced, integrated solutions
for the challenges facing farmers today and in the
future. To achieve the best yields under their specific
conditions, farmers must use high quality seeds, water
efficient technologies, nutrients, insect and weed
management, and soil conservation.
These solutions help farmers meet the needs of their
customers and successfully compete in global and
local markets. Consumers all over the world are not
only demanding more food, but a greater variety
including meat, dairy, and higher quality fruits and
vegetables. Syngenta’s training programs enable
farmers to boost yields sustainably, improve quality
of produce, and enhance their livelihoods.
In India, for example, Syngenta has established a “crop
health center,” called Krishi Shakti, which provides
agronomy advice and resources to farmers from
surrounding villages. In parallel, Syngenta started
operating Krishi Shakti vans to support farmers on
their farms. These programs provide crop diagnostics,
soil testing, library facilities, training and education,
demonstration plots and interactions with scientists.
As a result, member farmers use Syngenta products
and have increased yields and quality of their crops.
In another example, our PLENE technology, being
launched in 2011, addresses challenges in the sugar
cane industry in Brazil. With this innovative technology,
sugar cane segments are treated with seed care
applications to protect them in early growth stages.
Since mechanized planting is faster and safer with
new technology developed in conjunction with leading
equipment manufacturer John Deere, growers can
harvest and replant their fields more frequently. This
eliminates the typical yield degradation of the crop and
increases overall productivity, leading to a yield gain of
up to 15 percent.