Multinational biotech companies in general have not had the best reputation; they tend to be perceived as greedy corporations profiting from fear of future food shortages. For them, a simple focus on enhancing crop productivity has not and seemingly will not help gain support from a larger mass. This is why the Swiss agrochemical and seed producer Syngenta has taken a different approach.
Syngenta on Sept. 19 unveiled “The Good Growth Plan” which aims to address the global food security challenge in a more responsible way. The company outlined six commitments it will make to meet this goal with a new focus on resource efficiency, the environment and rural communities. These include preventing land degradation, enhancing biodiversity and empowering small holders.
The company’s chief operating officer was explicit about the reason behind the new program.
“The commitments we are making are very central to our business strategy. They are aimed at developing the trust that we need to make our business sustainable,” Syngenta COO Davor Pisk told The Korea Times’ Business Focus, during an interview in Jakarta, Indonesia.
“If we don’t try to do things differently in the future, we as an industry and Syngenta as a company is not going to have the support it needs in the future. There needs to be a very different appreciation of what we as a company can provide what the world needs,” he said.
Putting commitments into practice
Syngenta currently has 600 reference farms, where new technology is tested to increase yields. These provide the benchmarks that help track the progress that is made.
“We’re confident that we can achieve the targeted yields gain. We have already demonstrated to our own satisfaction, that by putting our best technology with good agronomic practices, we can attain these,” said Pisk.
With population increasing and resources decreasing, most people support the idea of increasing productivity. The debate over how to increase productivity is the sticky part.
“The goals will be achieved by the most appropriate combination of technology based on existing regulations; we are not assuming that countries that haven’t approved GM will approve it,” the COO said.
The company is in a regulated industry that relies upon regulators to judge whether technology is appropriate to use, he said.
“We do not introduce technology that is not sustainable or absolutely essential,” Pisk said. “The more we can do to minimize the use of inputs, the more the society at large will appreciate the contributions we make.”
Addressing global and local challenges
One of the many challenges the agricultural industry faces is climate change. As extreme weather becomes more common, the risks of crop loss increase as well.
However, this provides an opportunity for seed developers. Syngenta has developed technology to help farmers minimize loss from extreme weather. For example, using its specifically targeted and sophisticated breeding technology, the company created corn seed that can withstand extreme drought conditions. This seed, which is sold under the Agrisure Artesian Corn brand, is already available in the U.S. with expansion plans in works.
While the company works to counter the global challenge of climate change, it’s also working on local problems like the aging population of Korean farmers. The younger generations aren’t taking over farms like they used to, which has led to a decrease in the number of local farms and a decline in yields.
According to Syngenta, technology can once again provide a solution.
New technology can make farming less labor-intensive, allowing older farmers to continue to work the land later in life. Technology can also help farmer’s plant crops on more land, which results in higher returns and ultimately makes agriculture more attractive to young people.
Responding to skepticism, criticism
More consumers are turning to organic produce in an effort to avoid potentially harmful chemicals, but Syngenta says organic produce is not the way to improve sustainability.
“People think organic food is more sustainable but actually it is much less sustainable, because it requires more land. Our challenge is to have people understand and believe that new technology can actually be much more sustainable. Our six commitments demonstrate that we can improve biodiversity, productivity, farmer trading and safety in a way that organic agriculture cannot.”
Syngenta also deals with complaints about its vast product categories. The company is the world’s largest protection chemical seller and ranks as the third largest seed developer. Its genetically modified crops are manufactured for tolerance against its herbicides, which creates a dual stream of income.
However, Pisk says he is not concerned about critics in this department.
“This is one of the criticisms leveled against any large company in one sector,” said Pisk.
He said the company develops programs combining its seed technology and chemicals because it has the data, knowledge and capability to do so.
“Ultimately we can’t make a grower purchase our seed and chemicals, it’s their choice. All we do is say this is the best combination, and if you use this you will get the best return on your investment. If people interpret that as controlling or dominating, that’s unfortunate and we have to try and correct that impression.”
He added that the company operates in an open market and that there are many small companies that are active in the market both in the seed side and the chemistry side, and that there they will continue to be many other companies involved in the future.
“We need to recognize that we are facing some global challenges that actually require some global approaches and solutions. Small companies by their nature are going to be limited in terms of what they can do,” Pisk added.
“Nothing we’re doing is intended to limit competition, but we can’t hold back the contributions we want to make simply to make it easier for smaller companies to be competitive. We’re committed to exploiting all of our abilities to help growers become more productive and all we can do is the best that we can do.”
