Why Sustainability will Shape our Future in Agriculture

Article Contributor:
Judy Shaw
Government and Public Affairs Director
Syngenta Canada

“The issue of water scarcity now poses one of the greatest threats to health, safety, economic growth, human rights and national security” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

"World faces lasting food crisis and instability, warns G8 report”. Financial Times Europe, 07.04.2009

We read about and hear similar statements to this with increasing frequency. We also hear about sustainability. But what does sustainability mean?

Actually, the term sustainability was used as far back as 1987 when the Brundtland Report defined it as “Meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”. It was also referred to at the Rio Earth Summit (June 1992) stating that “Sustainable development is not just about the environment, but about the economy and our society as well”. From this, it has been generally accepted that sustainability is achieving a balance of our societal, environmental and economic responsibilities (sometimes called people, planet, prosperity). For any one area to take a greater importance over another would result in jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

The discussion on sustainability or sustainable agriculture belongs to all of us as producers, processors, input companies and consumers.

> What is Framing the Discussion
World population is estimated to be growing by two people per second. By 2050, there will be almost 3 billion people added to the world’s bulging population of 6.5 billion people. According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), global food output will have to increase by 70% by 2050 to accommodate the world’s population.

The pressure on land continues to grow. Some new land will come into agricultural production in the coming years, but other areas will be lost to urbanization and erosion. Worldwide, there are now more people living in cities than in the countryside. Outdated farming practices, deforestation and other man-made factors continue to cause erosion in many areas of the world.

Many parts of the world also have to contend with water scarcity. Some $30 billion worth of crops were lost to drought in 2007. Today, around 10% of the world’s land experiences extreme drought, but should climate change increase temperatures three to four degrees Celsius, this could rise as high as 40%.

Agriculture is also part of the climate change solution but, it means that we must grow more on existing farmland rather than expanding into natural habitats, which are vital for carbon storage and biodiversity. Through environmental on-farm stewardship, training and access to technology, we can sustainably intensify agricultural production, enabling farmers to grow enough affordable food without damaging the environment.

Canada possesses the resources to do more with what we’ve have – to produce more food for both domestic use and export. Our arable land base is second largest per capita in the world and our country also holds 25% of the world’s fresh water but we must continue to be good stewards of the land.

> Stewardship
For example, the Environmental Farm Plan represents a Canadian designed and initiated on-farm program for which the Canadian grower can be truly proud. Likewise, the CanadaGap food safety on-farm traceability program is another important initiative initiated by the horticultural industry in Canada and represents another great story behind the production of our horticultural crops.

For Syngenta, the most successful stewardship programs are those that are created and implemented through partnerships at the local level with, farmers, government agencies, and environmental organizations. An environmental partnership program which Syngenta is particularly proud of partnering with in Quebec is the Fondation de la faune and L’Union des producteurs agricole to support biodiversity conservation by restoring agricultural waterways through the establishment of riparian zones. This partnership is particularly encouraging due to its strong farmer driven approach.
Another program is a partnership initiative Syngenta entered in 2004 with Ducks Unlimited Canada to implement an Atlantic (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island) Small Marsh Restoration Program. This partnership has been very successful in the delivery of wetland enhancement projects on agricultural lands in the Maritime Provinces. To date, 194 projects encompassing approximately 674 hectares of wetland and associated upland habitat have been completed. This work not only provides important habitat for wildlife, but demonstrates the commitment by the agricultural community to carry out its activities in an environmentally friendly manner.

> Your Contribution
We believe there is a competitive advantage for the Canadian agriculture industry in addressing sustainable production issues and environmental stewardship and we all need to tell our sustainability stories.