Focus on nutrition

Bayer CropScience has placed the specific needs of large-scale farming at the heart of its global innovation strategy. As part of its “crop strategies,” Bayer CropScience is gearing its research and development activities to sustainable agricultural production. “As an innovation leader, we offer farmers a full range of services, including state-of-the-art crop protection, high-quality seeds, new solutions for crop cultivation, technical know-how and support services,” says Lykele van der Broek, member of the Board of Management of Bayer CropScience, whose areas of responsibility include sustainability.

Sustainable agriculture takes into account economic, ecological and social aspects to produce high-quality and safe agricultural products. It minimizes the environmental impact of farming and protects biological diversity as far as possible. The social and economic situation of the people living in the cultivation regions is also improved thanks to simpler cultivation methods and higher crop yields. “In the long run, we believe there is no real alternative to sustainable agriculture as an efficient and competitive way of ensuring we can feed the world,” says van der Broek.

As a global company operating in 120 countries, we have to meet a variety of geographical, socioeconomic, historical, cultural and environmental criteria. Our customers range from small-scale farmers to large agricultural companies. And their expectations are correspondingly diverse in terms of what they want and need from our products and services. Our contribution to ensuring food supplies is best illustrated by our projects and activities involving small-scale farmers in emerging markets. “Small-scale farmers are often at a disadvantage because of a lack of key elements, such as agricultural expertise and advice, adequate agricultural infrastructure, means of transportation and communication and access to markets and financial services,” says Dr. Rüdiger Schaub, Head of Sustainable Development at Bayer CropScience. We cater to the particular needs of small-scale farmers by working closely with them and offering a comprehensive package of services – ranging from training measures and the transfer of know-how to expertise on employee management and market development.

When it comes to sustainable agriculture, there is no single recipe that can be applied equally to all regions of the world. Bayer has therefore developed a modular system of measures that can be adapted to the various needs of different countries. This led to the first “Sustainable Development Roadmaps” in 2010. In Germany, maintaining biodiversity is a principal objective of the action plan. In Australia, the development of crops resistant to the effects of climate change is a key focal issue. And in India, a primary aim of measures is to conserve water in agriculture.

Rice is the primary food staple for half the world’s population. But rice production can already barely keep pace with consumption. Bayer CropScience is tackling this issue through one of the lighthouse projects that make up part of the Group’s Sustainability Program [ 30 ]. The core element of this project, which was launched in Indonesia in 2009, is the potential to increase crop yields and protect the climate by seeding rice directly. Bayer helps farmers switch from the resource-intensive process of planting rice to seeding pre-germinated rice directly. “This method allows us to factor in economic, ecological and social interests in equal measure,” says Bayer CropScience project manager Stephan Brunner. While water consumption falls, the rice yield increases by around 10 percent. At the same time, emissions of the greenhouse gas methane are cut by around 30 percent. Here, Bayer provides seeds and crop protection solutions and offers sowing machines and training programs. In 2010, this sustainable rice cultivation method was already being practiced by more than 8,600 small-scale farmers across an area totaling over 2,500 hectares.

With the “Food Chain Partnership” [ 31 ] concept, Bayer CropScience has developed a business model that enables emerging countries and others to raise agricultural yields, increase the quality of food and improve the income situation of farmers. In doing so, Bayer brings together all players in the food chain – farmers, traders, importers, exporters and food retailers. “All partners and ultimately the consumer can benefit from this – as can Bayer in the long run,” says Dr. Birgitt Walz-Tylla, Head of Food Chain Management at Bayer CropScience.

The Food Chain Partnership projects involving vegetables in India – another lighthouse project in the Bayer Sustainability Program – are playing a pioneering role. The company has already launched projects for okra, chili, tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes and cucumber in India. Food Chain Partnership projects were implemented in approximately 100 vegetable cultivation regions over an area of more than 40,000 hectares in 2010. By the end of 2011, the project is to be expanded to 125 vegetable growing regions and the amount of cultivated land increased.

Experts from Bayer CropScience teach the farmers about sustainable cultivation in keeping with good agricultural practice. This includes the controlled, environmentally friendly use of crop protection agents. High-quality seed, improved treatment plans and consistent monitoring of pest infestation increase not only agricultural yields, but also quality. What is more, production becomes more transparent and traceable thanks to the documentation of crop treatment by farmers. As a result, farmers can work more profitably and benefit from new sales opportunities, thus boosting their net income. “I increased my harvest by more than 40 percent in two years,” says Ashishkumar Patel, a small-scale farmer who grows one of India’s favorite vegetables, okra, on his plot of around 2.4 hectares in the state of Gujarat.

Bayer is represented in roughly 240 Food Chain Partnership projects around the world. These activities center mainly on southern Europe, Africa, Latin America, India and China. In Kenya, for example, the company has joined forces with the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) to promote the cultivation of fruit and vegetables through the Green World Project [ @32 ]. The quality of the Rocha pear [ @33 ] in Portugal, for instance, was also improved considerably thanks to far-reaching cooperation. An integral part of this tailor-made solution is the optimized use of crop protection agents and a new strategy to combat mold. Products from Bayer CropScience and the transfer of know-how to small-scale agricultural operations are helping raise both quality and yields in vegetable production in Guatemala [ @34 ].

Bayer CropScience also puts its expertise to good use in other partnerships with organizations and companies that develop innovations for sustainable agriculture.

With a view to intensifying research into new varieties of rice, Bayer CropScience and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) [ 35 ] in Los Baños, Philippines, decided at the end of 2009 to intensify their cooperation. Their aim was to make better use of the genetic diversity of rice plants and improve the management of crop diseases.

Further partnerships between Bayer Crop-Science and private companies also aim to increase crop yields in rice cultivation. The partners want to use plant biotechnology to develop hybrid rice seed that brings significant increases in yield compared with conventional hybrid rice.

Countries such as Australia also face a variety of challenges to ensure food supplies, particularly against the backdrop of rapidly changing weather conditions. Bayer CropScience and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) [ 36 ], Australia’s national research organization, are extending their cooperation to assess the sustainability of new crops. The two-year project will develop and apply models to assess the consequences of new cereal varieties for the ecosystem and food safety – including the impact on the carbon footprint of cereal production, i.e. the greenhouse gas balance. Read more about Bayer’s activities in Australia [ 37 ] in our brochure.

The Group’s commitments to sustainable agriculture are diverse. But true to its mission “Bayer: Science For A Better Life” special emphasis is placed on innovation. “The development pipeline is well filled,” says Dr. Alexander Klausener, Head of Research at Bayer CropScience. “In addition to the four traditional core crops – cotton, canola, rice and vegetables – we also recently expanded our research activities to include wheat and soybeans.”

Given the challenges associated with climate change, the development of stress-resistant crops will continue to be a focal point of the company’s research. In this context, it will responsibly use a mixture of traditional techniques and modern cultivation methods. Bayer CropScience’s procedures draw on innovative tools, such as marker-assisted breeding and green genetic engineering.