Syngenta sets goals to fight food insecurity

Syngenta aims to tackle global food security challenges through The Good Growth Plan, which contains its targets to help improve resource efficiency, rejuvenate ecosystems and strengthen rural communities.  “We have always been acutely aware that our business can only grow if we ensure that farming is carried out in a sustainable way. We continuously seek to bring this awareness to life through our focus on land, technology and people. We now need to take our contribution to a new level and this is the driving force behind the commitments announced today,” said Syngenta CEO Michael Mack at the launch of the programme in September.

The six targets are:

Make crops more efficient: Increase average productivity of the world’s major crops by 20% without using more land, water or inputs

Rescue more farmland: Improve the fertility of 10 million hectares of farmland on the brink of degradation

Help biodiversity flourish: Enhance biodiversity on 5 million hectares of farmland

Empower smallholders: Reach 20 million smallholders and enable them to increase productivity by 50%

Help people stay safe: Train 20 million farm workers on labor safety, especially in developing countries

Look after every worker: Strive for fair labor conditions throughout our entire supply chain network

Mr Mack added, “Delivering on these commitments won’t be easy given the conflicting views of society on agriculture and food production. The Good Growth Plan represents our collective commitment as a company to do things differently and better. We know we can’t solve the challenges alone which is why we are bringing together stakeholders from across the world to share our intent and to benefit from their input.”

The company has research showing the need for farming to be more responsible. Although governments are accountable for food availability, corporations have to increase their investment in food security.

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