Syngenta: 72% of the farmers are concerned significantly the impact of climate change in their capacity to produce food in the next five years

A global survey conducted to farmers in the united States, France, China, Brazil, India and Africa to Syngenta discovered that 72% are concerned about the impact that climate change will have on the yields of crops, livestock, food security and their ability to be profitable in the next five years.

An independent survey of european farmers shows as 46% of their productivity has been significantly impacted by the pandemic coronavirus. However, 53% said that climate change will remain the immediate priority, and 63% that climate change will have a greater impact on their companies that the Covid-19 in the next five years.

The Group Syngenta today launched its new ?The Good Growth Plan, placing the fight against climate change and loss of biodiversity in the center of the recovery of agriculture in the economic and social effects of the Covid-19. The new plan a commitments for the sosteniibilidad agricultural includes new and bold targets to reduce the carbon footprint of agriculture and to help farmers to cope with the patterns of extreme weather caused by climate change.

The fragility of the agricultural ecosystem

In the words of Erik Fyrwald, CEO of the Group, Syngenta: ?Since its launch, the principles and priorities of the Good Growth Plan have been rooted deeply in the way that we look for innovative solutions at Syngenta. The plan was, without doubt, just the beginning.? ?The pandemic of coronavirus has revealed the fragility of the agricultural ecosystem. As a pandemic, climate change is a threat inevitable that we must address before it is too late. As the economy and agriculture begin to be rebuilt with the gradual reduction of the restrictions of Covid-19, we need to support the recovery for the farmers that put the fight against climate change and loss of biodiversity in its core".

The survey, conducted by Ipsos MORI for Syngenta found that four of every five surveyed farmers believed that climate change had had at least some impact on their capacity to produce food and the majority (59%) believed that reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases would cause their farms to be more competitive and financially stable.

Four out of five farmers surveyed believed that climate change had had at least some impact on their capacity to produce food

Syngenta announced today that it has achieved or exceeded all the objectives of the plan commitments to ?The Good Growth Plan? original launched in 2013, including the recovery of more than 14 million hectares of farmland on the brink of degradation and improvement of biodiversity in more than 8 million hectares of farmland.

Under the new ?The Good Growth Plan?, the Group Syngenta is committed to invest 2,000 million dollars in sustainable agriculture to 2025 and to make available to farmers two technological advances each year. The specific commitments in the new plan are divided into four areas:

• To accelerate the innovation to the farmers and the nature.
• Fight for agriculture to be carbon neutral.
• Help people stay safe and healthy.
• Establish partnerships to curb the impact.

This includes the commitment to reduce carbon emissions in its operations by 50% by 2030, to support the objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change. The commitment of Syngenta has been validated and endorsed by the initiative Science Based Targets (SBTi). The Group Syngenta also signed recently the commitment of SBTi to prevent a global temperature rise of more than 1.5 degrees.

Alexandra Brand, director of Group sustainability Syngenta, said: ?When we speak with farmers, we see that they are the first to be harmed by climate change and loss of biodiversity. Now the restrictions of the Covid also could have long-lasting effects in the sector of food and agriculture.

"That is why the significant levels of investment in innovation that you see in the new Good Growth Plan are necessary to combat climate change and provide a food system that works in harmony with nature".
An example that demonstrates the depth of the commitment that the Group Syngenta is doing with the sustainable agriculture is the announcement of a partnership with the Network of Solidarity. Your goal is to implement sustainable solutions at scale that enable farming communities to achieve food security in several developing regions. One of these projects focuses on the coffee in Colombia, which aims to help small producers increase their income by 25% to provide solutions to the plague of the beetle borer of coffee.

Heske Verburg, Managing Director of Solidarity with Europe, says: ?we Believe that sustainable agricultural production should be the norm. Our partnership with Syngenta aims to support farmers in developing countries to improve their livelihoods, while produce in balance with nature. The products of Syngenta are a daily reality for many farmers around the world, our association will provide important information for achieving a sustainable production to scale."

This is in addition to an alliance already established with The Nature Conservancy announced in October 2019 in the project Reverte in Brazil, which aims to regenerate 1 million hectares of agricultural land degraded in the next 5 years.

Jennifer Morris, executive director of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), said: ?climate change and biodiversity loss, coupled with the increasing demand for food, are exerting growing pressures on the planet and eroding the productivity and resilience of farms and fisheries all over the world. The impacts of COVID-19 make addressing these challenges is even more urgent. To reverse these realities will be required to work in all sectors to get smart solutions and scalable to ensure a future where we can flourish the people and the nature. TNC recognizes the role that farmers all over the world have in the creation of solutions and is pleased to collaborate with the Group Syngenta in the ambitious pursuit of a food system that works in partnership with the nature ".