Climate change is affecting both agriculture and the environment. As a leader in agriculture, we are committed to providing technologies, services and training to help farming become carbon neutral as well as reducing the climate footprint of our operations in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.
We have long worked with farmers to increase soil health and biodiversity, two key pillars of regenerative agriculture. Under our new Good Growth Plan, we are now extending our focus to measure the amount of carbon dioxide that is captured in the soil, helping farmers manage and reduce the greenhouse gases contributed by agriculture. We will also continue our long-standing work to enhance biodiversity on agricultural land and improve soil health.
At the same time, we will reduce the emissions from our own operations and those of our entire supply chain, adding to our efforts towards carbon neutral agriculture.
We have set 3 targets and will measure and publish our progress against them each year in our ESG Report.
On the farm, we invest in developing products that can help farmers to store carbon in the land and digital tools to measure the impact. We also train them in methods to mitigate the greenhouse gases produced by agriculture, and to measure the difference they are making.
Our challenge now is to measure the impact at scale. This will support farmers to take part in the evolving carbon credits markets for agriculture.
Biodiversity also plays an important role, sustaining the ecosystems that underpin fertile soils and pollination. Our work aims to help farmers counter the loss of wild habitats to climate change, urbanization, and agricultural intensification and expansion.
Explore our soil and biodiversity policies
We will achieve this through a range of activities focusing on our manufacturing processes, energy sourcing and consumption, and logistics – both within our business and in partnership with our suppliers.
Conserving biodiversity and wildlife enriches our world in other ways, such as preserving genetic diversity, improving carbon sequestration in soil, mitigating floods and giving people the chance to enjoy nature.
But biodiversity is increasingly under threat as wild habitats are lost to climate change, urbanization, and agricultural intensification and expansion.
This helps to reintroduce local species, provide buffers for soil and water, and reconnect habitats for wildlife.
One example is with The Nature Conservancy, a global NGO, to support sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation. A new global multi-year collaboration, Innovation for Nature, focuses on scaling-up farming practices to improve soil health and resource efficiency and protect habitats in major agricultural regions worldwide.
We have long worked with farmers to increase soil health and biodiversity, two key pillars of regenerative agriculture. Under our new Good Growth Plan, we are now extending our focus to measure the amount of carbon dioxide that is captured in the soil, helping farmers manage and reduce the greenhouse gases contributed by agriculture. We will also continue our long-standing work to enhance biodiversity on agricultural land and improve soil health.
At the same time, we will reduce the emissions from our own operations and those of our entire supply chain, adding to our efforts towards carbon neutral agriculture.
We have set 3 targets and will measure and publish our progress against them each year in our ESG Report.
- Measure and enable carbon capture and mitigation in agriculture
- Enhance biodiversity and soil health on 3 million hectares
of rural farmland every year - Reduce the carbon intensity of our operations by 50% by 2030
Empowering farmers to store carbon in their land
Farmland is one of the planet's largest reservoirs of carbon and has huge potential to expand its role of capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Agriculture also has the potential to reduce its current carbon footprint – roughly 12% of all greenhouse gas emissions.On the farm, we invest in developing products that can help farmers to store carbon in the land and digital tools to measure the impact. We also train them in methods to mitigate the greenhouse gases produced by agriculture, and to measure the difference they are making.
Our challenge now is to measure the impact at scale. This will support farmers to take part in the evolving carbon credits markets for agriculture.
Improving biodiversity and soil health
Soil is the foundation of life, and also of agriculture’s contribution to tackling climate change. For farmland to capture carbon, it needs to be healthy and fertile, which is why we work with farmers to improve soil health through climate-smart agriculture practices.Biodiversity also plays an important role, sustaining the ecosystems that underpin fertile soils and pollination. Our work aims to help farmers counter the loss of wild habitats to climate change, urbanization, and agricultural intensification and expansion.
Explore our soil and biodiversity policies
Making our own operations less carbon-intensive
Striving for carbon neutrality is not only about what happens on farms: we are also committed to cutting the carbon footprint of our operations, including our entire supply chain. Our target of a reduction of at least 50% by 2030 supports the goal of a well below 2 degrees scenario of the Paris Agreement. Our commitment is endorsed and validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).We will achieve this through a range of activities focusing on our manufacturing processes, energy sourcing and consumption, and logistics – both within our business and in partnership with our suppliers.
Why biodiversity is important
Biodiversity is essential for plant breeding, pollination and diversity of food. It sustains the ecosystems that underpin fertile soils and plant pollination, helping farmers grow healthy food.Conserving biodiversity and wildlife enriches our world in other ways, such as preserving genetic diversity, improving carbon sequestration in soil, mitigating floods and giving people the chance to enjoy nature.
But biodiversity is increasingly under threat as wild habitats are lost to climate change, urbanization, and agricultural intensification and expansion.
How we’re promoting biodiversity on farmland
Syngenta protects and restores biodiversity on farms in several ways. We help farmers establish wild habitats on less productive land such as field margins and around waterways, as well as improving biodiversity within planted fields.This helps to reintroduce local species, provide buffers for soil and water, and reconnect habitats for wildlife.
Operation Pollinator and other biodiversity programs
Operation Pollinator is one example of our biodiversity programs in action. It’s an international initiative aimed at boosting the number of pollinating insects - such as bees - on farms and golf courses. Syngenta works with farmers and golf course managers to create wild habitats known as multi-functional field margins around cultivated areas. These provide natural strips of land that not only encourage pollinators but also small mammals and birds. We use this technique not only in Operation Pollinator, but in other biodiversity programs around the world.Collaborating with The Nature Conservancy
We partner with international organizations, farmers and communities to scale up sustainable agricultural practices.One example is with The Nature Conservancy, a global NGO, to support sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation. A new global multi-year collaboration, Innovation for Nature, focuses on scaling-up farming practices to improve soil health and resource efficiency and protect habitats in major agricultural regions worldwide.
