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Farmers and Scientists: Working Together to Improve Lives and the Environment

June 29, 2010

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With the population expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, agriculture is faced with the challenge to increase

By C. Waggoner, Produce More Conserve More Staff

With the population expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, agriculture is faced with the challenge to increase food production, while reducing the amount of natural resources required to produce crops.

Farmers are a critical piece of the solution. They take the risk year after year, and depending on the geographic area or crop, the challenges farmers face are very different.

A commercial farmer in the U.S. may need better weed-management and pest-protection products so he is able to spend less time on the farm and more time with his family, while a smallholder farmer in Africa may need drought-tolerant seed to profit from her crop and feed her family. Overall, helping farmers improve their quality of life means putting them in a better position to feed a growing population.

According to FAO, in developing countries smallholder farmers produce most of their country’s food, however they tend to be generally poorer and less food secure than the rest of their country’s population. In countries like Peru, Nicaragua, Rwanda and Sierra Leone more than 60 percent of people in rural areas live below the poverty line, and the majority are farmers.

Many of these farmers struggle due to limited, if any, access to technology and advanced tools to improve farming conditions and increase crop yields. The World Bank estimates in India, the value added per worker—a measure of agricultural productivity—is $478, and in Burkina Faso, it’s only $180 compared to $45,417 in the United States.

“There are several barriers to a farmer’s access to technology, with affordability being key,” Kinyua Mbijjewe, “Monsanto”:http://www.monsanto.com/’s Africa corporate affairs lead, said. “An African farmer typically has to pay four times what a U.S. farmer pays for fertilizer due to high transportation costs. Farmers are also poorly financed, with most banks and insurance firms avoiding agriculture as too risky to invest in.”

“Without technology, African farmers cannot achieve yields that enable them to escape the subsistence trap, which is associated with food insecurity, poverty, environmental degradation and a loss of hope,” he continued “Having the tools – the technology – especially in quality seed, fertilizer and crop protection products, enables farmers to work toward high-yield farming, bringing hope, improved food security, increased incomes and a more sustainable environment.”

According to the USDA, in 2009, farmers in South Africa only experienced corn yields of 4.31 metric tons per hectare, while farmers in the U.S. experienced 10.35 metric tons per hectare.

Drought is a primary issue in countries like Africa and India. In the U.S., many farmers have access to sophisticated irrigation systems, but in developing countries, farmers rely on rainfall to irrigate their crops.

The tribal belt of Gujarat, India yields only half of the world’s average yields due to a lack of rainfall and hybridized corn. To help 140,000 farmers in the area, Monsanto provided free or low-cost DEKALB® corn hybrid seeds, fertilizers, crop management inputs and training. The government provided cash funds at low interest rates and free insurance to protect farmers from rain-related impact on crops. As a result, farm yields more than doubled, generating an additional income of (US) $274 million.

For farmers, increased income leads to more educational and societal opportunities and stronger communities.

In Haiti, 66 percent depend on agriculture for their livelihood, and agriculture accounts for 26 percent of the country’s gross domestic profit. Following the earthquake, Monsanto offered $4 million worth of conventional corn and vegetable seeds to assist farmers who may not have otherwise have had sufficient seeds to plant this season.

“As a company wholly focused on agriculture, we understand the importance of supporting local farmers and the Ministry of Agriculture’s efforts to help with reconstruction in their country,” Jerry Steiner, Monsanto sustainability and corporate affairs lead, said. “With high quality seeds, agronomic support and training, Haitian farmers will be able to grow nutritious and diversified foods for their families, communities and their economy.”

In addition to improved income, using advanced seed and technology also saves farmers time.
“Initially, agronomic and economic benefits were the key drivers that drew farmers to technology,” Anderson Galvo, Céleres consultant, said. “Brazil soybean farmers realized they could save money and also time by spraying herbicide through their fields. Brazil’s environmental laws are very tight. So farmers see if they can use herbicide-resistant soybeans, and insect-resistant corn and cotton, they can reduce the number of sprays in their fields. And as a result, they saw that they could reduce the amount of water, chemicals, diesel and chemicals sprayed in the environment.”

Universally, farmers are working to produce more on every acre of land with fewer inputs.

“I used to think the U.S. fed the world, but it takes all of use to feed the world,” Rod Schilling, Okwaville, Illinois farmer, said. “The world is changing so fast that we need the science behind us. If my grandfather could come back and see what we’re doing now he wouldn’t believe what’s being produced on the land he farmed 100 years ago. Farmers and scientists have to walk hand in hand to sustain agriculture. We’re going to need the production off of the farms, and we’re going to need the scientists help to do it. Otherwise, we’re going to run out of food.”

DEKALB® is a registered trademark of Monsanto Technology LLC. ©2010 Monsanto Company

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