Conservation agriculture
Agriculture is under pressure to increase production. But soil erosion and water quality compromise the productivity of existing farmland. The available fertile farmland per person in 2050 is predicted to be less than a third of that in 1950.1 This could mean new land will have to be cultivated, often at the expense of wild areas that are crucial for biodiversity.
Farmers conventionally till land to prepare seed beds and control weeds, leaving soil bare and prone to erosion, a severe form of land degradation. Soil compressed by heavy tillage equipment cannot absorb as much water, which leads to runoff and reduces the natural storage of rainfall for crop use. A greater volume of water running off the surface of tilled land increases the load of soil, nutrients and chemicals that wash into water systems, impacting ecosystems.
Our objectives
Develop and promote local programs to help farmers minimize soil erosion
and improve soil productivity; Maintain and improve quality of water and
promote efficient water use by developing expertise in water management
and use of buffer zones
Our approach
Syngenta products help reduce soil erosion by enabling farmers to control
weeds with minimum tillage. Together with local partners we support sustainable
practices to avoid excess chemicals entering watersystems.
| Soil conservation and water quality | 2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active programs | 30 |
41 |
|
| Total investments ($m) | 1.2 |
1.5 |
| Soil conservation and water quality Investment by region in 2008 | ||||||||
|
Syngenta’s contribution
Our non-selective herbicides, such as TOUCHDOWN® and GRAMOXONE®
enable farmers to control weeds without tilling the ground. This method
– known as minimum tillage – conserves soil structure by leaving
roots intact. This prevents erosion and reduces surface runoff by enabling
water to be absorbed more easily.
Minimum tillage enables farmers and their families to save the time and effort needed for constant labor-intensive hand-weeding (see benefits for rural communities). Fuel costs and carbon emissions associated with mechanical tilling are also dramatically reduced.
Extensive research in a wide range of crops has shown this technique can significantly reduce erosion of soil and loss of nutrients, protect water systems and conserve biodiversity. Syngenta supports further research into the impacts of minimum tillage in partnership with governments, non-governmental organizations and universities in many countries around the world. We also work with farmers and environmental organizations to promote additional conservation measures that can protect water systems and encourage biodiversity.
1 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAOSTAT & the United Nations Population Division
