Syngenta and The Nature Conservancy announced a new Innovation for Nature collaboration to promote soil health, resource efficiency, and habitat protection in major agricultural regions worldwide. It brings together Syngenta’s research and development capabilities and TNC’s scientific and conservation expertise to scale up sustainable agricultural practices.
Syngenta and TNC have worked together for over a decade on various projects that support sustainable agriculture. This collaboration is intended to demonstrate how a company can re-evaluate its business strategy by incorporating sustainability science into its decision-making process and engaging with farmers in new ways.
The organizations are exploring new precision agriculture solutions, cover cropping, integrated pest management, biological solutions, remote sensing and analytics, improved seed varieties and other advances. By joining forces, TNC and Syngenta aim to identify and test new innovations and technology that can benefit farmers and the environment at a greater pace and scale than either organization could achieve on its own.
The multi-year collaboration is focused on driving better conservation outcomes through Syngenta’s commercial network and its research and development capabilities – as well as partnering with international organizations, growers and communities. Independent third-party experts will be engaged where appropriate to help assess whether the collaboration is delivering measurable benefit for nature. The Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, with its focus on helping smallholders and improving their farm productivity and access to markets, will also be integral to the collaboration.
Mark Tercek, Chief Executive Officer at TNC said, “To protect nature – and all of us who depend on nature – our food system must do more to prevent deforestation, protect biodiversity, and enhance soil health. Our collaboration with Syngenta is a step in the right direction and shows how two organizations with different missions and purposes can work together and look at innovation in a new way.”
Also as part of the collaboration, Syngenta and TNC are now working together to improve resource efficiency, soil health and habitat conservation. In the United States, they will be working across Syngenta’s network of agricultural product retailers, the collaboration aims to encourage and incentivize the adoption of conservation practices, such as nutrient management, edge-of-field practices and habitat preservation, with an initial focus on agriculture in the Saginaw Bay and Western Lake Erie watersheds. The full list of key agricultural geographies and improvements can be found here.
Earlier this month, Syngenta announced it is accelerating its innovation to address the increasing challenges faced by farmers around the world including climate change, soil erosion and biodiversity loss, as well as changing consumer expectations and views on agricultural technology.
