Changes in consumer demand, climate, and regulation are among the drivers for the accelerating rate of innovation in the agricultural sector. “Tackling the multiple challenges has to be carried out sustainably,” said Mike Hollands, President Syngenta UK. His comment was made at the Syngenta Innovation Showcase, in partnership with SCI, which was held at SCI’s Headquarters in London on 11th July.
"Sustainability is a priority," Hollands said, "but this has to be achieved through collaboration, building these relationships is critically important for success." Syngenta’s overall sustainability focus is set across four priorities for the company, these being: higher yields and lower impacts; regeneration of soil and nature; improvement of rural prosperity; and sustainable operations.
Commenting on the challenges faced by many businesses innovating in the science sector Steve West, Head of Crop Protection Development said: “We need investment in people, skills and infrastructure otherwise we are set to fall behind. We need an ecosystem that supports this collaboration. Syngenta is committed to an open system that fosters this.”
The event, attended by academics, policy makers and industrialists gave an insight to the range of technologies that the company is using to develop solutions for growers world-wide. From biologicals, encompassing biocontrol, bio-stimulants and nutrients, through to the development of spray technologies delivered by innovative nozzle technology, the company stressed its ‘grower-centric’ approach. Developing products that remain effective in the rapidly changing environments in which they are used is a key focus for the company. The particularly wet year for UK famers was a key talking point and served to highlight the ongoing need for development of effective agricultural technologies.
Of course, there is a financial incentive, with the company sharing data indicating that the global market for biologicals is expected to grow to $12 billion by 2027. This growth, Syngenta said, is five times faster the conventional crop protection. The fastest growth will be driven by nutrient use efficiency and bio-stimulants. Developments in these areas will be driven by technologies including AI, genomics and bioinformatics. But as well as these technologies there is a need to build high quality data sets not only based on information collected by technology such as satellites but also farmer led observations.
“There are many global challenges the agricultural sector is facing, and it needs to be resilient to shocks. Climate change is an obvious one, but as we have seen disease, and geopolitical shocks will impact the world’s ability to produce food the world needs.” Hollands noted.
The complexity of the challenge is mixed with the regulatory landscape with Steve West calling for pragmatic risk-based regulation. During a panel discussion West commented “We feel it is vital that UK policymakers understand what is needed so that we can innovate and get our products to market. We would like to see a more science-based focus on the regulation."
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