Innovation is key to sustainability and food security, Corteva VP Anne Alonzo tells Politico Agriculture and Food Summit

Corteva Agriscience will be announcing a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their operations in June 2021, a high-level event composed of policymakers and industry representatives has heard.

Corteva Agriscience Senior Vice-President for External Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer Anne Alonzo made the comments during the fourth Politico Agriculture and Food Summit, which this year took place online. Corteva is the leading sponsor of the event.

Delivering the keynote speech on the Transition Towards Green Agriculture, Ms. Alonzo also said that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of innovation in securing food supplies for the future.

“No environmental issue today is more pressing than climate change,” she said. “Over the past two years, Corteva Agriscience has convened leaders from farming, business, government and civil society to discuss ways to work together to create a climate-positive agriculture industry.”

While Corteva’s purpose – to enrich lives of farmers and consumers – was “very much aligned” with the EU Green Deal, Ms. Alonzo said the company would make a rigorous impact assessment of any policies affecting farming and farmers’ livelihoods.

She called on everyone involved in agriculture and agribusiness to “help influence the way we go about protecting the planet, empowering farmers, and providing consumers with more nutritious food.” This, she said meant supporting new technologies and a science-based policymaking approach.

“As business, civic or organizational leaders, your voices carry weight,” she said. “By working together, we can help ensure that all voices are heard, especially those of farmers. If we collaborate on best practices, if we advocate for science-based policies, if we keep our farmers and farming communities at the center of all we do - there’s no limit to what we can accomplish.”

Reflecting on the uncertainty brought about by the pandemic, she said: “The events of the past several months have made perfectly clear that our calling – and indeed our promise to the world – has never been more important.” While these are uncertain times, it is clear that ‘business as usual’ is not an option for the future of agriculture and food production, she added.

The Corteva Agriscience 2030 Sustainability Strategy also was highlighted during the Summit. The strategy includes 14 goals to be achieved over the next 10 years, based around four key pillars: Goals to benefit farmers; Goals to benefit the land; Goals to benefit communities and Goals for the company's operations.

Other speakers included European Commission officials, MEPs, national ministers and NGOs. The EU’s Green Deal, the European Commission’s Biodiversity and Farm to Fork strategy, CAP reform, changing consumer habits, gene editing, breakthrough technologies, food regulations, animal welfare, transparency and implications of the COVID-19 pandemic were among the topics on the agenda.