Water
Water shortage is one of the most pressing global challenges we face. By 2025, 1.8 billion people will experience absolute water scarcity and over a quarter of the world’s population are expected to be living in regions with limited water.1
Rapid population growth is increasing pressure on global water resources Climate change will add to this challenge as weather patterns become more extreme and an increasing number of regions are prone to drought. The emerging economies of Africa and Southeast Asia are at highest risk. Economic development and industrialization increases demand further. As people become more affluent they tend to eat more meat, which requires about two times the water of a vegetarian diet to produce.2
Agriculture
is the biggest global water user and as pressure on resources increases,
the availability of water is rapidly becoming the most limiting factor
for agricultural production.
Inefficient irrigation practices, such as field flooding particularly
in rice crops, mean that around 40 percent3 of the water used
for irrigation is currently wasted. Improving water efficiency is a significant
challenge for growers.
Syngenta’s contribution
Water efficiency and water protection within our own operations is a priority
for Syngenta (see Environment
). Our products can also help farmers meet the challenge of growing crops
using less water and reduce waste from irrigation.
Every year billions of dollars worth of crops are lost in rain-fed areas due to drought. We are investing in research and development of more resilient crop varieties that can tolerate the effects of drought, including drought-tolerant corn and sunflowers, and our already introduced sugar beet that can grow in tropical climates. This improves water efficiency and enables farmers to maintain yields under moderate drought conditions. Our new crop protection product, InvinsaTM, also helps farmers grow healthy and strong field crops even during periods of moderate drought.
By increasing the productivity of existing farm land, our products help to protect important water catchments and other natural areas from cultivation. This contributes to conservation of forests, which play an essential role in water regulation.
Syngenta’s non-selective herbicides enable minimum tillage agriculture, which preserves soil structure, improving water absorption to reduce run-off from farm land. See conservation agriculture for further information.
We work with irrigation specialists to develop intelligent irrigation systems that save water and can also be used to apply fertilizers and crop protection products efficiently.
1 UNESCO, http://www.unesco.org/water/news/newsletter/180.shtml#links
2 World Water Council
3 Earthscan “Water for food, water for life”
™ Invinsa™ is a trademark of AgroFresh Inc.
