Monsanto Plants Seeds for Sustainable Future

The agricultural company devises far-reaching plan to curb food shortages through new technology and partnerships

By Danielle Lee

Agricultural company Monsanto recently announced a three-point plan to increase food production as limited resources, climate change and population growth threaten future supplies.

“Agriculture intersects the toughest challenges we all face on the planet,” said Hugh Grant, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Monsanto, in a statement. “Together, we must meet the needs for increased food, fiber and energy while protecting the environment. In short, the world needs to produce more while conserving more.”

Monsanto’s sustainable production plan includes developing better seeds, conserving resources and arming farmers with better technology and equipment.

The company decided on this multipronged approach after surveying “farmer customers, policymakers, scientists, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and experts in academia and industry,” said Grant, noting that they offered solutions for dwindling water supplies and the challenges faced by resource-poor farmers.

Monsanto stated that its plan to develop improved seeds involves research into increasing the yields of corn, soybeans and cotton, all key crops. This would be achieved through breeding techniques to create higher-yielding germplasm and manipulating plant traits to better protect against pests.

Monsanto’s goal is to double the yield of these three crops by 2030, the company said. Additionally, the company is setting up grants for experts researching rice and wheat production in developing countries.

This seed development will assist in the company’s second goal of conservation, according to Monsanto. These new products will increase production, but also reduce the use of energy, fertilizer and water, in an attempt to reduce “by one-third the cumulative amount of key resources like land, water and energy required per unit of output,” the company said.

Monsanto set up a timeline of 2020 for its final goal of improving the lives of the world’s one billion farmers, tens of millions of whom are resource-poor and survive on less than $2 a day, the company said.

Farmers would see improvements in the form of new commercial products and technology, distributed through programs and partnerships with other organizations, the company said.

One such partnership is with the Agricultural Technology Foundation, which is leading the public-private partnership Water Efficient Maize for Africa. Monsanto and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center are donating unique germplasm and technology expertise to the project, which is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

The water-use efficiency genes Monsanto is developing commercially will also be contributed to the partnership.

"These commitments represent the beginning of a journey that we will expand on and deepen in the years ahead,” Grant said. “We will report on our progress as we engage our entire organization in this effort.”