Soil is the foundation of all life on Earth – without it, we couldn’t grow the food we need to live. But it’s at risk from many different threats. So, we’re doing everything we can to help growers protect it.

1. Bedrock
Why is soil so important?
Soil is the foundation of all life on Earth
– without it, we couldn’t grow the food
we need to live. But it’s at risk from many
different threats. So, we’re doing everything
we can to help growers protect it.
What is soil?
45% Mineral matter
25% Water
25% Air
5% Organic matter
It’s
porous
Pore spaces in
soil absorb air
and water, and
deliver nutrients
to plants
It’s
alive
One spoonful of
healthy soil can
contain 1 billion
bacteria and
other organisms
It’s
nutrient-rich
Nitrogen,
phosphorus and
other nutrients
are vital for
plant nutrition
Organic matter
Parent rock
Subsoil
Topsoil
Fertile, healthy soil is
essential for agriculture and
food security. Sustainable
intensification of agriculture
is needed to produce more
food on less land.
Improving
yields
allows us to
grow more food,
using less land.
Of the 1.6 billion hectares
used to grow crops:
Why do we need soil?
1.3 billion people
live off the land
Nearly 1 in 5 people on
Earth produce food &
other agricultural products
for the rest of the world.
15% Europe
17% Africa
39% Asia Pacific
15% North America
10% Latin America
4% Middle East
1980 Now
88% 12%
Annual output of grain per hectare
13 billion hectares
of total land on Earth
Only 12% of land is suitable
for agricultural use
2.3
tons
3.6
tons
Threats to soil health Threats to soil health
Water erosion
Wind erosion
Desertification
Compaction
Loss of organic matter
Urbanization
40% of the world’s farmland
is considered degraded
40%
Nature takes 500 years to
replace 25 mm of lost soil
1second 500years
Every second, we lose a
soccer field of farmland
An estimated 7.3M hectares
of forest are lost each year
(that’s about the size of Ireland)
7.3m
What are the challenges?
Erosion, degradation, poor soil management,
desertification and urbanization are serious threats
to land and soil. If we don’t protect soil health,
our ability to grow food and sustain life will suffer.
Poor soil
management
Excessive tillage makes soil susceptible to erosion.
It also releases stored carbon into the atmosphere.
Monoculture can deplete soils of nutrients and limits
the types of healthy organisms living in soil.
10.3 mil. ha (please correct figure & format)
58.3 mil. ha (please correct format)
51.4 mil. ha (please correct format)
24.5 mil. ha (please correct format)
figure and ‘mil’
Syngenta works with growers to help them restore the fertility of the soil they farm.
What is Syngenta doing to help?
Conservation tillage
Reduce unnecessary soil disturbance
by no-tilling techniques, and by planting
into the residues of a previous crop.
Permanent cover
Cover crops protect soil from
exposure to extreme weather
conditions and provide a better
environment for soil organisms.
Crop rotation
Rotating crops helps soil develop
new and diverse organisms, and
keep a balance of nutrients.
Technology
The best combination of seeds,
crop protection and machinery to
support the adoption of different
soil management practices.
Training
Sharing knowledge with farmers
about best practices and the latest
findings in soil and water conservation.
Diagnostics
Identifying the key impact factors
for different soil types and cropping
systems, to adapt management to
local conditions.
Sustainable soil practices Implementation through
Learn more at www.goodgrowthplan.com
We’ve committed to improve
the fertility of 10 million
hectares of farmland on the
brink of degradation as
part of The Good Growth Plan.
How big is 10 million hectares?
Iceland
10.3 mil. ha.
Kenya
58.3 mil. ha.
Thailand
51.4 mil. ha.
UK
24.5 mil. ha.
As a result…
soil
4.
3.
2.
1.
Provides higher yields in the long term
Requires fewer passes with farm
machinery using less fuel and labor
Retains more moisture for crops
Has more organic matter
Less soil loss,
higher yields
Every year, potato
farmers in Colombia’s
Cundinamarca region
can lose around 20
tons of soil per hectare.
But when trained in
conservation tillage
techniques,
crop protection and
sustainable practices,
these growers can
reduce soil loss by
67% and sustain
25–30% higher yields.
67%
reduced
soil loss
25%
Increased
yield
Growth
by 2030
15–20%
© 2014 Syngenta AG, Switzerland
References
A Guide to Our Industry in 2014
http://www.nxtbook.com/syngenta/Our_industry/Our-industry-2014
FAO
http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0413e/a0413E12.htm
FAO STAT
http://faostat.fao.org/site/550/default.aspx#ancor
Pimentel D, Pimentel M; American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition;
Vol. 78, Issue 3, p. 660S-663S (September 2003)
UNCCD
http://www.unccd.int/Lists/SiteDocumentLibrary/Rio+20/UNCCD_
PolicyBrief_ZeroNetLandDegradation.pdf
USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service
http://nerrs.noaa.gov/doc/siteprofile/acebasin/html/envicond/soil/slform.htm
USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/soils/health/
biology/?cid=nrcs142p2_053862