The food challenge

Poverty and hunger are some of the world’s most significant challenges. Uncertainty about food supplies, increasing food prices and the threat of starvation are a fundamental challenge which, in a globalised world, matters to everybody.

Feeding the world’s population is a basic need – indeed, having food to eat is a human right. This is specifically mentioned in the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The debate is often overshadowed by other relevant topics such as green energy, biofuels, nature conservation, organics, genetically modified organisms, free trade policies etc., but the fact of the matter is that already today almost one billion people in the world are starving. Based on Cheminova’s mission and business, we want to contribute to improving living conditions for an increasing number of people by helping to satisfy the global demand for food.

CROP PROTECTION IS NECESSARY

Worldwide, more and more people need to be fed and clothed. Eating habits are changing; for example in China and India a growing and increasingly affluent middle class is eating more meat. Moreover, large parts of farmland are being used to cultivate biofuels, so the pressure on growing more and better foods and more animal feed is increasing. Agriculture therefore needs to boost yields and crop quality per hectare of farmland. The agricultural farmland worldwide cannot simply be expanded in step with population growth without having an adverse effect on natural values. This means that the area of farmland per capita is falling while the demand for more food production grows.

The growing demand for farm products is leading to increasing crop and food prices, posing a serious problem for poor populations. Efficient farm operations are a precondition for developments going in the right direction towards improved living conditions for a growing number of people around the world. This challenge can only be tackled through using better cultivation methods, better seed grain and more fertilisers and crop protection.

INCREASING DEMAND

Crop protection is necessary to avoid large losses due to weeds, fungal diseases and insect infestations of the agricultural crops. Today, 30-50% of crop yields are saved thanks to the use of sprays, while quality is also improved. Apart from genetic modification, today there are no sufficiently effective alternatives to chemical crop protection. In line with the rest of the industry, Cheminova therefore expects to see increasing global demand for crop protection in future driven by the farmer’s incentive to protect his crops and boost production as a result of greater demand and higher prices. The specific need for crop protection naturally varies for different crops, countries and climate zones. With a better and broader product portfolio as well as global market access, Cheminova helps farmers increase yields and quality of crop production.

SUSTAINABLE CROP PROTECTION

Corporate social responsibility and innovation are core values for Cheminova, and sustainability has been a natural aspect of our business for many years in our development, production and sale of crop protection products. We have phased out the most toxic products and launched new and effective substitutes that pose fewer risks for the farmer handling them as well as having less impact on the surrounding environment. There is a growing interest in sustainable farming all over the world, and our focus is therefore on developing new and improved crop protection products. In this way, we are helping the farmer to increase the production of agricultural products, and thereby making the world a better place to live.