Sustainability Collaborations
& Initiatives

With an extensive supply chain, collecting data is imperative for scaling regenerative agriculture in a consistent way. Syngenta has worked with Kellanova, now part of Mars Snacking, since 2015 to develop a scalable solution to track continuous improvement globally across crops in a meaningful, impactful way.

By using Cropwise^™ Sustainability, Mars Snacking tracks, measures and documents its regenerative agriculture goals across participating farming systems. The platform enables crop-level data collection on practices and outcomes, and supports credible reporting, which helps demonstrate progress over time against Mars Snacking’s sustainability commitments, like soil health, water and biodiversity. This solution supports farmers who produce key ingredients in Mars Snacking products – including wheat, corn, potatoes and rice – to identify opportunities for sustainability improvement through their supplier network.

To track and communicate their sustainability goals, potato growers must collect farm and crop-level data that is both accurate and comprehensive. However, collecting information across a variety of sources in a way that several value chain partners can use presents a challenge.

In collaboration with Syngenta, the Potato Sustainability Alliance (PSA) streamlines how crop-level data is collected and made available to end users. Using Cropwise^™ Sustainability, participating growers compare themselves with other growers in their region through anonymized and aggregated benchmark reports, and receive the actionable insights they need to make continuous progress on their farms. Syngenta’s Sustainable Outcomes in Agriculture Standard (SOA) – embedded within Cropwise Sustainability – is benchmarked with the Sustainable Ag Initiative (SAI) Farm Sustainability Assessment 3.0 and provides PSA’s cohort of growers, processors, and industry members with the foundation to assess potato sustainability in a credible and scalable way.

For nearly a decade, Syngenta has collaborated with USPR, the marketing cooperative for several sugar companies across North America – including American Crystal Sugar Company, Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative, Wyoming Sugar Company, LLC, and U.S. Sugar. As trusted suppliers to thousands of food and consumer packaged goods companies across America, USPR and its members continue to support and engage in climate-smart agriculture practices, provide certified sustainability metrics and build sustainability partnerships across the value chain.

To help meet evolving expectations for transparency, USPR created alignment between grower practices and various sustainability goals through the United We Grow program. Through engagement in Syngenta's Sustainable Outcomes in Agriculture Standard within Cropwise^™ Sustainability, farmers can easily share farm-level data, benchmark performance to Sustainable Agriculture Initiatives (SAI) Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) 3.0 and gain valuable insights into sustainability practices across the cooperative.

The results of the Sustainable Outcomes in Ag Standard using Cropwise Sustainability survey supports engagement between farmers and regional professionals, advancing the uptake of new practices for some and the quantified reward of those practices for others. This also supports collaborations with customers and organizations across the value chain, further magnifying and growing the positive impacts.

Livestock production generates emissions and consumes significant natural resources, contributing to climate change. When Enogen corn is fed to livestock, starch is converted to sugar more efficiently – delivering more available energy to cattle. University research has shown that feeding Enogen as silage or grain can improve feed efficiency by about 5%.¹ Life-Cycle Assessment shows that increasing feed efficiency by about 5% in beef backgrounding and the feedyard could result in significant environmental savings, including lower emissions of greenhouse gases and lower use of land, energy and water.²

Environmental impact and commodity pricing are some of the largest stressors for beef and dairy producers. As a part of Syngenta’s commitment to the environment, the Enogen Feed Forward^™ opportunity may incentivize producers in the U.S. to feed Enogen corn in their rations to help reduce certain environmental impacts of beef production. Through the Feed Forward opportunity, partners can show support for producers by paying a per-head, per-day incentive – while reducing their carbon footprint through the benefits provided by feeding cattle Enogen corn.

Operation Pollinator is a global, research-backed initiative that helps restore pollinators in agricultural, golf course and other landscapes by creating essential habitats using specially selected wildflowers to attract a variety of pollinators and increase biodiversity.

The program is conducted through collaboration with key stakeholders who deliver wildflower seed mixtures, with Syngenta providing agronomic expertise and resources. Through Operation Pollinator, growers, golf course superintendents and land managers strengthen the environment through a sustainable approach to biodiversity. In addition to helping restore vital populations of pollinators, the program provides habitats for small mammals and birds.

Research shows farmers can achieve clear benefits through effective plant selection and management. Results from Operation Pollinator indicate pollinators respond positively when specially selected wildflower mixes are planted in key locations across the landscape. In addition to restoring vital populations of pollinating insects and other biodiversity, with careful site planning and management, Operation Pollinator can significantly reduce soil erosion and help protect valuable water resources from soil and nutrient pollution.

Ag retailers play a critical role in bringing precision solutions to growers. Syngenta Crop Protection and Taranis continue to advance precision agronomy programs that deliver valuable opportunities for customers by expanding their collaboration to reach retailers across the United States. The strength of this industry collaboration comes from combining Syngenta’s strong value chain relationships, geographic reach and conservation agronomy expertise alongside Taranis’ unique data capture, AI analysis and comprehensive service delivery capabilities.

The comprehensive approach to field management achieved through this collaboration effectively scales monitoring capabilities and ensures growers have the right solutions when issues are identified. Participating retailers reported leveraging Taranis’ AI early-detection capabilities in combination with Syngenta’s leading crop protection solutions to address field issues sooner. The integrated approach helps focus resources on the highest-priority fields, reduce manual scouting time, and streamline operations.