Syngenta’s ambition is to empower farmers and support the development of agricultural systems that function within planetary boundaries. Innovation, integrity, responsibility, and collaboration are at the heart of our business. We are focused on continuously improving the sustainability of agriculture in all that we do.
Regulation and registration
The crop protection industry is one of the most highly regulated in the world, with products subject to extensive evaluation before they are approved for registration and sale. To register a product we must first demonstrate that it meets the regulatory standards of the country, that it can be used safely by workers, and that it has no adverse effects for the environment and the crops that it will protect, and to the food that will ultimately be produced from those crops. The exact nature of the study process depends on the planned use of the product – but generally more than a hundred studies covering toxicology, metabolism, residues, ecotoxicology, physical-chemical properties and environmental impact are performed.
The studies required for approval are performed in accordance with internationally agreed test guidelines which can take up to five years to complete. Once submitted for approval, the regulatory authorities evaluate the data over a two to four year period before reaching a conclusion on whether or not the product meets the country's regulatory standards. Authorization to sell is documented with a "registration certificate" issued by the regulatory authority. Registrations are usually time-limited and re-registration will be required after a certain period of time, often 10 years after the first registration.
On average, the development of any new crop protection product takes eight to 10 years and costs around $286 million before a product is commercially launched.
The data requirements for approval of crop protection products are broadly similar in most countries. However, the way that the data are used and the conclusions reached by the regulatory authorities in product evaluations can differ depending on how countries have chosen to define protection goals.
In the US, the regulatory system considers the risks that crop protection products pose under realistic agricultural conditions. This approach focuses on factors such as the quantity of a substance that will actually be used by growers.
In Europe, a number of additional hazard-based regulatory cut-off criteria have been introduced - meaning that active ingredients will not be eligible for approval if classified as, for example, a carcinogen, a mutagen or a reprotoxin. These cut-off criteria apply regardless of the use rates of a crop protection product or whether there is any real risk for undesirable effects in practice. In Europe, all our crop protection products comply with relevant EEC Council directives and the EC's regulations on food safety.
The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure is a global treaty that came into force in February 2004 and which is jointly implemented by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The PIC procedure is designed to promote shared responsibilities in relation to international trade of certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides. The PIC listing process does not involve an evaluation whether products can be manufactured and used safely. Also, PIC does not constitute a ban or prohibition of affected products by FAO/UNEP or a recommendation by these organizations to do so.
No Syngenta active ingredient or formulation is currently listed in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure (PIC list).
No. Paraquat liquid formulations of type SL/EC at a concentration greater than or equal to 200 g paraquat ion per liter have been recommended for PIC (Prior Informed Consent) listing as “Severely Hazardous Pesticide Formulations” by the Chemical Review Committee of the Rotterdam Convention based on a proposal from Burkina Faso.
In 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019, the Conference of the Parties (COP), which is the decision-making body of the Convention, could not reach the required consensus on the paraquat formulations for listing in Annex III of the Convention (the PIC list). Further discussions were deferred to the next meeting.
It is Syngenta’s view that Burkina Faso’s listing proposal does not demonstrate that these formulations meet the definition of a SHPF under the provisions of the Convention. Burkina Faso’s underlying study on pesticide poisonings provides no evidence of severe health incidents involving the product under conditions of use. Paraquat is used safely around the world, popular with farmers and a vital tool for sustainable agriculture.
Over the last 10–15 years there has been a global debate about honeybee populations, and the short and long term effects of pesticides, and specifically neonicotinoids on them. Over time, many other influence factors over bee populations have been studied by scientists, including: diseases caused by viruses, parasites, and mites; poor nutrition; climate change; lack of genetic diversity and lineage; stress brought on by frequent transport of honey bee colonies; poor beekeeping management; and combinations of these factors.
More than one third of the world's crops depend on pollination, which means our business is reliant upon the pollination provided by bees and other pollinators. We conduct constant research on the environmental effects of our products, while helping beekeepers and farmers to maintain suitable areas for bee forage and beekeeping coexistence. Our Operation Pollinator program has helped boost the number of pollinating insects near farmland. It provides farmers with locally suited flower seed mixes and best practice advice to enable them to create bee friendly areas in field.
All genetically modified (GM) seeds products are subject to intense regulatory scrutiny. We follow international guidance for assessing the safety of our GM seeds products. Our regulatory experts around the world stay in regular dialogue with relevant regulatory authorities.
New GM seeds products only reach the market after the rigorous and comprehensive safety assessments of their environmental, feed and food safety have been reviewed and approved by the appropriate regulatory authorities.
New GM seed products are only placed on the market after the safety assessments have been reviewed and approved by the appropriate regulatory authorities in that particular county. The general type of data required for obtaining approvals is similar in various countries.
The time between submission to regulatory authorities and approval does vary by country. Government regulations, regulatory systems, and the politics that influence them, can vary widely and are subject to change. Obtaining product approvals can be time consuming and costly, and data requirements for approvals continue to increase. In some countries, approvals are time-limited and must be renewed periodically to ensure that each product continues to meet regulatory standards.
We maintain high levels of stewardship for all our genetic modified (GM) products, helping us ensure compliance with regulatory standards. The processes we have in place are audited by the Excellence Through Stewardship (ETS) initiative – the first industry coordinated initiative that promotes the global adoption of stewardship programs and quality management systems across the full life cycle of biotechnology derived plant products.
Our focus on safety and the environment begins at the start of our product lifecycle. We are committed to complying with plant biotechnology regulations and we maintain a management system for handling our genetically modified crops that is modeled on ISO 9001, the international quality standard.
Our regulatory compliance team works globally to ensure compliance best practices are shared and comprehensive compliance programs are available where needed. This approach, combined with the experience, knowledge and risk awareness of our employees, ensures that we maintain a high level of compliance.
We report on our biotechnology regulatory compliance in Our Sustainable Business Report (p. 51).
As the export trade for major crops increases, one of the major challenges facing the industry is the harmonization of approval processes between major cultivation and importing countries. Approvals of genetically modified (GM) seed products occur at different times due to differences in country regulatory processes. Creating greater synergy between approval processes would facilitate trade and ensure choice of supply. We strongly uphold the right of growers to have access to approved new technologies that can increase both their productivity and crop yields.
Several governments have signed a declaration of intent to work collaboratively on the issue of Low Level Presence of GM products where they have been approved in the country of origin but not in the countries of import – their aim is to facilitate improved international trade of agriculture commodities.
National regulatory authorities sometimes ask for public participation to develop or refine regulation with regard to biosafety aspects or phytosanitary questions.
Syngenta complies with regulatory requirements and has long experience of evaluating the safe use of our products. We are open to share our knowledge and to engage in dialogue with local regulatory authorities to help shape the regulatory framework.
We also support the development and improvement of regulatory systems by participating in initiatives and platforms bringing together industry organizations and regulatory authorities. Our staff is closely involved in the ‘Principles of Regulation’ initiative from CropLife International which provides building blocks for new regulation and measures for continuous improvement of existing regulation.
Syngenta contributes to the work of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety through the Global Industry Coalition (GIC). GIC was established early on during the negotiations on the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to provide concrete, reliable and accurate information for countries involved.
Syngenta strives to fully comply with the framework of existing national legislations. We are in an ongoing dialogue with regulatory authorities as our products move through the product life cycle. Commercial regulatory approvals of GM products often include post-launch regulatory obligations for the technology developer and their customers, as for example Insect Resistance Management practices.
Syngenta customers learn about these requirements through our comprehensive education programs. Online resources, face to face meetings and product labels provide guidance. Also, our education materials often include customer support contact information in the event the customer has a question related to stewardship requirements. Syngenta also partners with key external stakeholder groups such as industry associations and local farm groups to help deliver the messages to customers. Syngenta has also developed innovative solutions to enable our customers to more easily comply with the requirements. As an example, the integration of refuge seed into the bags of some of our insect-protected GM products helps growers to fulfill the refuge planting obligation.
Product safe use and stewardship
We are committed to the responsible and ethical management of our products throughout their life-cycle; we call this stewardship. Ensuring that our products are used safely is our priority.
Under The Good Growth Plan, we commit to help people stay safe and healthy in our operations and in the field. This includes a target to train 8 million farm workers on safe use every year. Our aim is to drive real improvement in stewardship knowledge, attitudes and behaviors around the world. Together with expert partners, we are constantly reviewing our training approach to equip our 30,000 frontline trainers around the world with the skills, knowledge and tools for effective stewardship.
In developed markets, industry authorities often provide training and guidance to users. In countries where this guidance does not exist, we train growers to handle products safely. In some areas low levels of literacy and little access to training can make it difficult to correctly read product labels or directions for use. Face-to-face training is complemented by safety messages on crop protection products through a variety of media including picture based training, actor-led dramas, and even TV and radio programs. We also provide specialist information to growers through our online platform “Pesticidewise”.
We monitor the response of growers to different safety messages, including the effectiveness of our training programs, in order to ensure that these important messages are understood by those who need them.
More information on this topic is also available in our ESG Report (p. 37).
We are committed to promoting full and effective stewardship from discovery to commercialization for all our thoroughly tested genetically engineered (GE) seeds to maximize the benefits for growers. We believe that the appropriate management and use of our products is an important element underpinning sustainable agriculture and safeguarding the environment and public health.
Our plant biotechnology stewardship lifecycle starts with gene discovery, includes plant development, seed production, seed marketing and distribution, crop production and crop utilization, and ends with product phase-out. We have worked with others in the agricultural biotechnology industry to develop and maintain the following stewardship programs and have established internal quality management systems to promote responsible management of plant biotechnology:
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Insect and Weed Resistance Management
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Field Trial Compliance Manual/Workshops
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Containment Analysis and Critical Control Point (CACCP) Plan
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Product Launch Stewardship Policy
We provide information on genetically engineered (GE) technology (also known as GMO) and the benefits it can bring through open dialogue. We work with industry partners such as Crop Life International to provide accurate and impartial information on the safety and benefits of GM technology. Other organizations that also provide information include the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications and the Biotechnology Industry Organization.
A good source of accurate information is GMO Answers, where people can ask questions to experts.
Resource efficiency and biodiversity
We are committed to helping farmers around the world grow more and better-quality food while using fewer natural resources. We provide technologies and knowledge that help farmers optimize land productivity while making sure that land fertility is maintained and improved. Sustainably increasing farm productivity not only adds value to rural economies but it is also key to feeding a growing population. Reducing the amount of arable land needed per unit of crop allows leaving existing untouched land in its natural state.
Building on our commitment to improve resource efficiency outlined in Syngenta’s first Good Growth Plan, we continue reporting on land productivity increase on reference farms on an annual basis. Find out more on our ESG Report (page 27).
Farming relies on biodiversity – it is crucial for crop breeding, pollination, healthy soils and water purification. At the same time, farming is a managed habitat that influences biodiversity.
We support projects that preserve and enhance biodiversity in the soil, in the fields and beyond. As part of the Good Growth Plan, we aim to enhance biodiversity and soil health on 3 million hectares of rural farmland every year. Biodiversity plays a crucial role in the sustainable production of healthy food. We work with farmers to help them understand the importance of managing biodiversity on their farms. For instance, our Operation Pollinator program aims to increase populations of bees and other pollinating insects through the planting of locally suited flower mixes within field margins. Our LivinGro® initiative promotes regenerative agriculture principles by developing biodiversity and soil health science within modern agroecosystems.
Crop diversity is one of the world's least recognized but most valuable resources. The conservation of crop varieties is essential to meet future challenges, such as food supply and those associated with climate change. Many initiatives on a local, national or supra-national level aim at preserving the genepools for future use and research. We work with seed banks around the world to share and protect the genetic diversity of food crops and we are a donor to the Global Crop Diversity Trust - a foundation committed to conserving crop diversity for global food security.
Smallholder farmers and their livelihoods
Of the more than 570 million farms worldwide, about 90% are small, owned and/or operated by families, mostly in developing countries (FAO). We define smallholders as growers who face significant challenges in production and market access due to their limited land area or lack of infrastructure. Smallholders depend heavily on their own and family labor. They typically farm less than two hectares. However, each country and crop has its own characteristics. Therefore, Syngenta Group does not use a rigid global definition based on farm size. We recognize that limited land area is one of smallholders’ significant challenges, alongside those such as lack of infrastructure or access to credit and markets.
Smallholders play a vital role in global food security. They currently produce around 25% of global food and feed more than 2 billion people. However, they also constitute almost half of the hungry people in the world. We estimate that by 2050, even if large farmers can increase their production by 20%, smallholders will still need to more than double their production to feed the world.
Smallholders need and merit continuing support of various kinds to help them increase productivity and profitability in a sustainable way. Smallholder farmers are an integral part of Syngenta Group’s customer base in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Half our sales come from emerging markets where smallholders dominate the farming market.
As one of the world’s largest seed producers, our innovative breeding technologies help smallholders and other growers around the world achieve higher yields, better harvest quality and greater profitability. Read more
To strengthen smallholder farming and food systems, the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture catalyzes market development and delivery of innovations, while building capacity across the public and private sectors. Read more
Women are often the backbone of rural economies. Globally, they represent two-thirds of smallholders and also account for 60 percent of all farmers. However, they are often hampered by significant disadvantages. When women have access to relevant services and other inputs, such as improved seeds and fertilizers, they will increase their yields substantially.
We have a significant number of women among our existing and potential customers. We see considerable opportunities to tailor our outreach programs to serve them more effectively.
Historically, the programs of the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture have aimed to benefit smallholders regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, religion or other such differences. However, some programs already target opportunities for rural youth, and some include a strong ‘gender’ component. The latter is set to increase markedly over the coming years. By 2025, the Foundation intends to focus in suitable settings on initiatives primarily designed to help female smallholders.
In developing countries, smallholder families produce between 60% and 80% of the food consumed and generate between 40% and 60% of total rural income (Croplife). They economically support more than 2 billion people. However, productivity is often relatively low for numerous reasons.
The Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture works to create a sustainable future for pre-commercial smallholder farmers in about a dozen developing countries. The Foundation helps them improve their incomes and living standards so that current and future generations see farming as an attractive profession of choice. Read more
In markets around the world, Syngenta Group develops and sells solutions that enable smallholder farmers to improve their productivity and profitability. Our solutions are tailored to crops and geographies. We focus on better agronomy, trainings on the safe use of crop protection products, the cascading of know-how and technologies through self-help farmer organizations. Cooperating with partner organizations, we also look into how we can help smallholders get improved access to finance and be better connected to markets.
Read more about Syngenta’s participation in public private partnerships under the World Economic Forum's New Vision for Agriculture, including the Southern Agriculture Growth Corridor in Tanzania, Grow Africa, and Grow Asia (Vietnam, Indonesia). Additionally, Syngenta works together with public and private food chain partners in various smallholders' initiatives in several countries (Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua; Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Vietnam; Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Senegal).
Improving smallholders' access to technology
Syngenta Group’s presence in over 100 countries brings us close to farmers in any part of the world. We reach out to them via distribution channels, our sales force and other routes.
Our aim is to provide leading innovation in seeds, crop protection, digital solutions, and application technology to enhance the prosperity of farmers and communities, wherever they are. This is reflected in our Good Growth Plan and in our Principles for Sustainable and Responsible Agriculture.
Enabling access to our innovations for smallholder farmers is of particular importance and we offer solutions that are specifically designed for their needs. These range from producing smaller, more affordable packs of products, to establishing demonstration farms, centers of excellence and learning centers.
We help farmers in all parts of the world to better protect their crops and seeds. We accompany our solutions with capacity-building initiatives for our customers that range from the dissemination of good agronomy, training in the safe, efficient and responsible use of agrochemicals, to biodiversity protection measures and advice on how to improve access to markets.
We partner with other organizations including academia, NGOs, industry associations, local organizations and product retailers, to scale up the initiatives and programs to support their agronomy programs. To this end, the company and its partners run trainings in agronomy and in the safe and responsible use of crop protection products.
The Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA) supports smallholder capacity- building in many different ways. These include:
- Agriservices: SFSA develops, for example, mobile communication products that give smallholders better access to input and output markets.
- Risk management: SFSA is building on experience from East Africa to support local adoption of agricultural insurance in South-East Asia.
- Access to Seeds: With Seeds2B, SFSA helps smallholders access high-quality, affordable seeds of improved varieties for the crops they need.
- Research and Development: The SFSA R&D team connects public-sector research with private-sector delivery channels to generate products that are accessible, affordable and remunerative to smallholders in developing countries.
- Policy: through policy-oriented research in agriculture, SFSA aims to improve the enabling environment for smallholder farming and related businesses.
In our engagements with smallholder farmers, we focus on building and sharing knowledge. We inform them about good agronomy practices, train them to handle products safely and to care for the environment. We set up demonstration farms where growers can experience first-hand the solutions we are tailoring to meet the local needs.
Through our Lead Farmer Networks we can reach a greater number of smallholders within the same community. We support Lead Farmers through education programs on best farm practices. They then disseminate the knowledge by demonstrating the solutions and providing advice to their neighbors.
We are also exploring different options for connecting with smallholders via digital platforms. Technology can help us to provide timely agronomic advice to more smallholder farmers and help enable better access for them to information, markets and finance. We are currently piloting this approach across a number of geographies.
The Access to Seeds Index (‘Index’) is published every two years by the World Benchmarking Alliance and the Access to Seeds Foundation. The Index compares the efforts of seed companies to enhance the productivity of smallholder farmers.
Syngenta – i.e. Syngenta Crop Protection, Syngenta Seeds and the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture – participated in the 2016 and 2019 editions of the Index. The Index recognized Syngenta's sustainability agenda and the high level of transparency in which we engage with smallholder farmers across the world. We were ranked second on the global Index on both occasions.
Syngenta Group participated in the 2021 edition. We rank among the top 8 in the three regional indexes (no global index was issued).
Read more on Empowering smallholders through access to seeds