Syngenta Invests in the Future of Agriculture

What are the greatest challenges and opportunities facing agriculture today?
David Hollinrake, president of Syngenta Seeds, LLC, and region director of Syngenta North America: Hands down, the greatest challenge we currently face in agriculture is the overall economy. Commodity supply exceeds demand; therefore, farm income is low. The primary goal of many growers has switched from optimizing their crop yields to achieving the greatest return on investment. Understandably, they evaluate every input decision through that lens, because minimizing loss may be the only way some growers can preserve their operations for another year.

In the long term, though, agriculture is a vital industry because people have to eat. By 2050, we’ll have about 2 billion more mouths to feed on roughly the same footprint we have today. That means growers will need to improve their farms’ productivity by 60 to 70 percent. For those in our industry who accept the role of converging discoveries in biotechnology, breeding, chemistry and digitization to achieve greater success on the farm, the opportunity is massive.

“Bottom line, our customers can confidently count on the continuity of our people, products and strategy to help them navigate the market’s ups and downs.”

Vern Hawkins, president of Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC, and region director of Syngenta North America: Unpredictable market dynamics continue to be a challenge for agriculture. Global trade agreements are somewhat in a state of flux, creating more uncertainty for U.S. agriculture. Continued consolidation of major agrochemical and seed companies is another source of market disruption. “What are my supplier’s future strategies, and will someone new replace my trusted sales representative?” are questions many growers and resellers are asking themselves as this growing season gets underway.

Not surprisingly, agriculture’s greatest opportunity revolves around our responsibility to fulfill one of humanity’s most basic needs—food. Over the next few years, we’ll have the chance to improve food availability, quality and choice through an ever-growing toolbox of advanced technologies that the innovators of our industry are relentlessly pursuing.

How will Syngenta help growers and resellers manage the highs and lows?
Hollinrake: Given today’s tough economic times, many of our competitors are trying to figure out ways to preserve their profitability through consolidation of resources and contraction of investment. We’re not doing that. We’re looking at ways we can innovate to create a greater output for the long term. As a result, we’re investing $1.35 billion annually in research and development across our different businesses. Additionally, we’re doubling down in the U.S. seeds business by investing another $400 million over the next five years. Part of that investment will go toward acquiring more great talent in the areas of breeding, agronomy and other customer-facing positions. But ultimately, it’s about adding new products to our already strong portfolio of genetics and traits, so that we can better help growers solve crop challenges.

Hawkins: The breadth and depth of the Syngenta portfolio backed by our experts in the lab and field are key. With return on investment being such a driver, we understand the importance of making the right recommendation on a given acre. That’s why our local reps are always available to talk through practical crop solutions with individual reseller partners and growers. For additional support, we also offer our AgriEdge Excelsior^® whole-farm management platform. It gives growers access to information about their operations that can help them make the best input decisions possible. Bottom line, our customers can confidently count on the continuity of our people, products and strategy to help them navigate the market’s ups and downs.

Looking ahead, what excites you the most about agriculture?
Hollinrake: Nothing excites and energizes me more than the new era of innovation that all of us in agriculture are experiencing together. Fueled by the need to grow more from less, the technological horsepower driving our scientists at Syngenta is powerful. New breakthroughs in seed breeding, such as gene editing, combined with our development of more targeted crop protection products, are already making a difference on farms. We’re also fine-tuning our ability to connect an increasing number of digital devices, so that intelligent software systems can help map out an agronomic plan for every acre a grower plants. The nearly simultaneous arrival of these innovations is unleashing capabilities we didn’t have just a few years ago. Together, their combined impact will enable growers around the world—no matter how large or small—to make step changes in their farms’ productivity.

“Bottom line, our customers can confidently count on the continuity of our people, products and strategy to help them navigate the market’s ups and downs.”

Hawkins: After more than 30 years in this business, I’ve never been more excited about the road ahead for agriculture and Syngenta. Yes, there will be a few bumps along the way, but we’re living in an age of incredible scientific discovery that will lead to unprecedented yields. Better chemistries and seeds will help get us there, and so will our improved ability to use farm-level data to grow crops more efficiently, sustainably and transparently. Of course, partnerships built on genuine trust and mutual respect will be the engines that truly propel us forward. At Syngenta, we’re committed to continuing our leadership in all these areas and look forward to sharing this exciting journey with each of our customers.