Syngenta top woman: Current agriculture is no longer possible

Syngenta wants to make nature and society a leader in innovation. According to top woman Alexandra Brand, there should no longer be a contradiction between agriculture and nature.

At the same time doing good for nature and the environment and not affecting the productivity of farmers. It is easily achievable according to Syngenta. To make that possible, innovation in agriculture must be accelerated and society and nature must be made the leader in that innovation. That is the approach of the new sustainability strategy of the plant protection products and seed company. The new approach should not only benefit the environment and farmers, it should also give Syngenta a head start over its competitors.
Alexandra Brand has been Chief Sustainability Officer at Syngenta since the beginning of 2018. For this position she was responsible for crop protection and seeds in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Before joining Syngenta in 2015, she worked at BASF. - Photo: Cor Salverius

Alexandra Brand, the Chief Sustainability Officer at Syngenta, is responsible for implementation. She recently flew over from Switzerland to the Netherlands for the opening of Syngenta's new seed technology center in Enkhuizen. Costs for the new asset: more than € 36 million. Brand is enthusiastic when she talks about the possibilities that the new center offers.

Seed breeding in the seed technology center can be up to twice as fast and is therefore fully in line with the wish of the company to accelerate innovation. The new refined crops must fit better in with changing climate conditions and consumer wishes. Examples are cauliflowers that can withstand drought better, but also cauliflowers in the colors purple and orange, so that they look attractive to consumers. Not only Syngenta should benefit from the new center; the seeds will go all over the world.

Why was a new sustainability vision needed?

“The world is changing. The climate is changing, consumers have different wishes and requirements and as a result, farmers have to defend themselves for what they do. We listened in 150 sessions worldwide to what society, nature organizations and farmers expect from us and what sustainable agriculture means to them. We discovered that Syngenta can play an important role in this. That is why a new approach that benefits everyone was needed. "

When politicians make the decision not to use certain resources, we can only accept this

Why does Syngenta make nature and society leading in innovation? Surely the knowledge and skills about agriculture lie with farmers and growers and not with society?

“It does not mean that we make farmers less efficient or productive by listening to society. We would not choose if we could no longer offer farmers what we are doing now. There should no longer be a contradiction between agriculture on the one hand and the needs of society and nature on the other. Agriculture as it is currently practiced can no longer continue like this. Climate changewe cannot deny it. Farmers have to explain a lot about what they do and suffer from it. We must look for a solution that benefits farmers, nature and society. We have no choice. An example is reducing residues in crops and the environment without having an impact on productivity. The precise application of resources is an important area for innovation in this regard. "

What if there is such a strong social resistance to a certain product that it is banned?

“Our products are strictly controlled and are safe to use. In the EU, however, politics is too much led by emotion and less by science. When politicians make the decision not to use certain resources, we can only accept this. We must adapt to this and we help farmers with alternatives such as the development of seeds for plants that are more resistant to pests and diseases. We must then have the space to work on those alternatives, to innovate. ”

The Netherlands is the center of vegetable seeds. There is a lot of knowledge here

How large is that room for innovation in, for example, plant protection products or breeding in the EU?

“Innovation in the EU is slowing down due to enormous caution. The innovation is not going fast enough to compensate for the decrease in the number of resources available to farmers. Farmers lose more than we can innovate and develop. We are very concerned about that and everyone should be concerned. Some crops become less attractive to grow in the EU, because fewer resources are available to protect them. We are afraid that we will fall backwards in this way. "

What do you think of the European Court of Justice's ruling that new breeding techniques such as Crispr-Cas fall under the strict rules for genetic modification?

“We would really like to use the new technologies in Europe. It offers many advantages by being able to breed very precisely. The decision has been made, but the discussion continues, even if the EU sticks to this decision. There is a clear sound from agriculture, among others, that there is a desire to be allowed to use the techniques. That is why we are very open about it, we share data about safe use and we want to contribute to the debate on this. ”

Syngenta part of Chinese state-owned company

Syngenta is managed from Basel, Switzerland and had a turnover of € 12.2 billion last year. Most sales are made in crop protection (€ 9.4 billion), a smaller share in seeds (€ 2.7 billion). In 2017, the company came into the hands of the Chinese state-owned company ChemChina. The deal is seen as the largest overseas acquisition ever by a Chinese company. The deal turned the state-owned company into a global player in agrochemicals. ChemChina took Syngenta off the stock exchange at the time, but there are plans to bring the company back on the stock exchange next year .

How important is the new seed technology center in Enkhuizen for Syngenta?

“The decision to build the center in the Netherlands was made quickly. This is the center of the vegetable seeds. There is a lot of knowledge here. Our goal is to accelerate innovation. The new seed technology center is fully in line with this. It is possible to control the seasons during the breeding process. This makes accelerated breeding, up to twice as fast, possible. This is necessary because some developments, such as climate change and consumer trends , are moving fast. We focus primarily on the development of climate-proof crops, disease-resistant crops and combating food waste. For example, we have developed a cauliflower that does not burn in the sun. As a result, growers have less work and there is less waste on the land. "

We investigate which flowers are needed in a field border to attract the right pollinators

What are the benefits of the new sustainability approach for Syngenta?

“The new approach offers us benefits in three areas. First, it offers us economic benefits. If farmers can successfully change their approach, it means that we are also successful. That way we gain market share. With the new approach we adapt to changing circumstances. We invest research costs in it and that should ultimately give us an advantage over competitors. Secondly, we wish to our CO 2 to reduce footprint and meet the climate agreement in Paris. Finally, we want to be an attractive and good company for our employees. We are also involved with them and share their concerns about, for example, the changing climate. That is why we are taking concrete actions. "

A concrete action that is mentioned in the approach is to help reduce CO2 emissions and reduce biodiversity loss. What does this look like in practice?

“To reduce CO 2 emissions, the so-called no-till method (no deep tillage, ed.) Is an option. With coordinated seeds and crop protection , it is possible to achieve good yields with the no-till method. Syngenta can contribute to this with advice on the right seeds and crop protection. With regard to biodiversity, we focus on pollinators, among other things. We are researching which flowers in a field edge are needed to attract the right pollinators and what it takes to have the effect for several years. "

Editor's note: This article was originally published in Dutch. This English summary has been prepared with Google Translate and edited for clarity.