Roughly 50% of the habitable land on our planet is being used for agriculture, and so it is clear that to protect biodiversity we need to make changes in our agro-ecosystems. Giving a minor percentage of our productive areas back for natural habitats will make a significant difference: Agricultural landscapes will be more diverse, host more biodiversity and release the potential of ecosystem services.
“Growers following the LIVINGRO® protocols, implementing multifunctional areas such as flowering strips, will not only contribute to enhancing biodiversity, they will also benefit from the power of natural regulation. Even more importantly, they will preserve the most precious resources such as productive, living soils and clean water for future generations.“
Across vast areas of cereal crops and in fruit and olive orchards in five countries, very different farmers are growing food in ways designed to show through data how biodiversity is key to agricultural sustainability.
Their work through the seasons of preparing, planting and harvesting is based on a set of ambitious, holistic and data-driven agronomic protocols, tailored for their crops and conditions. These will improve biodiversity in the field and beyond, protect soil and improve its health, and help secure yield and quality for the grower.
The LIVINGRO® program draws on the best ecological management practices from different farming systems and modern, diverse crop protection technologies. Designed by Syngenta Crop Protection technical experts, it is being carried out in collaboration with external partners, including independent scientists from universities and research institutes.
While there are many such sustainability programs, this one is set apart by two distinctive factors – being very broad in the number of parameters it measures and being validated by independent scientists.
“LIVINGRO® will identify positive impacts from biodiversity on important agronomic indicators such as pollination, natural pest-predator balance, and soil health.”
Measuring the impact – from insects to soil
LIVINGRO® started out as three-year pilots in Argentina, Chile, Germany, Mexico, and Spain, in 2020 and 2021, with farmers applying specific protocols on a variety of crops: rotational cereals – corn, soybean and wheat in Argentina; corn, oilseed rape, sugar beet and wheat in Germany; and corn and wheat in Mexico; as well as perennial stone fruits in Spain and Chile, grapes in Chile and olives in Spain.
The protocols combine the latest science-based advice from Syngenta agronomists, ecologically friendly practices, products and technologies. These range from seed varieties, synthetic crop protection chemicals, biologicals (biofungicides and bioinsecticides) and beneficial insects, to the implementation of multifunctional areas that foster the coexistence of farming and biodiversity.
The farmers’ work is measured through data gathered on no fewer than 38 different parameters, covering various aspects of biodiversity, soil, and crop production sustainability. The parameters go further than in many agricultural trials - for example, assessing the impact of the protocols on all types of insects living on the surface of the soil and under the ground, not only on pollinators. Soil data includes its composition, before and after the new protocols are used, along with analysis of the microbiota, its ability to sequester carbon and to mobilize nutrients and make them more bio-available for the crops. A particular focus will be on measuring erosion and infiltration. Plants are also monitored for pest infestation, disease incidence, as well as yield and quality.
At the end of the study, the comprehensive range of data will be evaluated by both Syngenta and independent scientists from the five pilot countries, with final reports available in 2024. The findings will be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals for use by the scientific and agricultural communities.
“Agricultural sustainability and farmer profitability are compatible. We can produce healthy, quality food while preserving and improving biodiversity and soil quality in agricultural ecosystems.”
In Syngenta Group companies, successful protocols will be scaled up to enhance biodiversity and the profitability of farmers across different crops, countries, and sizes of farms. In this way, LIVINGRO® helps to accelerate innovation for farmers and nature and supports Syngenta Group’s global sustainability plan, The Good Growth Plan, by generating the hard data needed.
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