MONHEIM, Germany, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Bayer, a world-renowned German chemicals and pharmaceuticals company, on Tuesday expressed its commitments to a more sustainable global food system, in a discussion here on the future of agriculture.

"As an agriculture leader, we have the opportunity and responsibility to address the global challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and food security to help create a better tomorrow for our planet," said Liam Condon, president of the Crop Science Division, at the company's 2019 Future of Farming Dialogue.

"Breakthrough innovations are needed so that farmers can grow enough food for a growing world population while preserving natural resources," said Condon in his keynote speech.

Bayer introduced its commitments to address some of the most pressing challenges facing the world by 2030, including reducing field greenhouse gas emissions from the most emitting crops systems by 30 percent, and empowering 100 million smallholder farmers in developing countries by providing more access to sustainable agricultural solutions.

"Most of Chinese farmers are smallholder farmers, and our plan to help 100 million smallholder farmers in developing countries through a combination of better seeds, crop protection and digital tools are surely targeting them," Condon told Xinhua.

He said that by strengthening cooperation with various partners, the company will focus on two major areas, namely rice and vegetables, in its efforts to "benefit farmers and enhance agricultural efficiency in China."

Under the theme "Tomorrow belongs to all of us," the event gathered leading global industry experts, farmers and academicians from 40 countries for two days of discussions on hot topics, such as the importance of crop protection tools for sustainable agriculture, and the need to strike a balance between production of food and preservation of the Earth.

"We need access to technologies to address the global challenges," said Pam Johnson, a U.S. farmer and member of the Global Farmer Network, a non-profit advocacy group led by farmers who support free trade.

"We need to make sure farmers' voice is heard in helping shape the future of food chain system," said Katie Brown, senior vice president of sustainable nutrition at National Dairy Council, a non-profit organization committed to nutrition education and healthy diets. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)