Building Resilience: 5 Areas to Consider

As farmers around the world are working hard to keep up the pace of production while providing for their families and communities, there’s been a lot of attention on how the pandemic will affect the food and ag industry going forward. What will the “next” normal look like, and how will we be able to shape a food system that is more resilient to unforeseen shocks? These questions were front and center at the recent World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit, where I was proud to join the opening panel on the topic of “Building Resilience: How Will a Black Swan Event like COVID-19 Accelerate Change in the Agri-Food Industry?”

While the underlying challenges remain the same as before, the pandemic has certainly exacerbated some of them, underscoring the need to transform the food system to become more productive, resilient and sustainable. From the many good discussions at the Summit, here are the five areas I consider particularly important in this transformation process:

Farmer Focus – It is resilient farmers that have safeguarded food supplies during the pandemic and that have ensured the planting of crops for the coming season. Many of them have been battered by massive labor shortages, low commodity prices and unpredictable weather patterns. In this challenging environment, it is more important than ever that our products and services focus on creating value for farmers. This may include new approaches that reward farmers beyond productivity – like the Bayer Carbon Initiative. This initiative will reward growers for generating carbon credits by adopting climate-smart agronomic practices, and essentially creates a new revenue stream on the farm. The program is the result of years of work creating and validating a science-based approach and methodology to help reward growers for adding new or additional sustainable practices in their fields.

Investment in Innovation - In recent decades, innovations across agriculture have allowed farmers to grow more without further expanding the world’s agricultural footprint. Advances in biology, chemistry, biotechnology and data sciences have demonstrated their ability to produce high-yielding, quality outputs and raise farmer incomes. While investment in agricultural innovation has increased over the years, it still lags compared to other sectors. Given innovation’s critical role in attaining and maintaining food security, it is vital that we don’t lose momentum in times of economic crisis. Only by sustaining investment in innovation will it be possible to brace ourselves for tomorrow’s challenges.

Data and Digital Technologies – Digital technologies not only help us stay connected during the pandemic, they also lay the groundwork for other agricultural technology advancements. They enable smarter decision-making on the farm that maximize input efficiency and reduce pressure on natural resources. And the power of data goes well beyond the farmgate: It has the potential to significantly increase transparency and sustainability across the food value chain. By improving product traceability, consumers will be able to make better informed choices about price, nutrition, production practices, and environmental impact.

Collaboration – I firmly believe that no single mind, or even single organization, can come up with solutions to the world’s biggest challenges alone. There is an opportunity for bringing forward more agricultural innovations to growers faster by bringing new thinking together from a variety of players. It is important that the private sector accelerates and expands partnerships with universities, research institutes, technology providers and members all along the agriculture value chain.

Policies that Incentivize Innovation and Sustainability – Governments are increasingly challenged to develop policies that stimulate innovation and facilitate the distribution of existing knowledge and improved technologies. Granting access to innovative tools and technologies is an important prerequisite. Broadband internet development strategies, for instance, can boost the ability of farmers to benefit from digital technologies, follow commodity markets, communicate with customers and access new markets around the world. Given the growing threat from climate change, it is vital that such policies help promote the adoption of sustainable farming practices. Programs such as carbon-pricing arrangements can create a stronger business incentive to invest in low-carbon technology and innovation.

Change won’t happen overnight, and it won’t happen without strong partnerships between governments, business and civil society. Still, I am convinced that if we tackle the challenges in some of these areas, we will emerge from this crisis stronger, generating additional value for our farmer-customers and serving societies in a more agile, reliable and sustainable manner.