We recognize that agriculture is fundamental to drive growth in developing countries: working to improve food security and agricultural productivity lies at the heart of our international development activities.

As a company involved in food production, it is a particular challenge for Syngenta that 800 million people go hungry in developing countries. Agriculture plays a critical role in poverty eradication and rural development.

Our role in agriculture strengthens the imperative: the Food and Agriculture Organization figures show about 70 percent of the world's poor live in rural areas and depend on agriculture, and agriculture gives work to 40 per cent of the population, or 2.5 billion people in developing countries.

The importance of agriculture
Feeding the population is the fundamental need of any nation which means maximizing productivity from agriculture. Increased productivity releases people from being tied to the land. If they are provided with opportunities such as better education and infrastructure support, this starts the process of rural development.

Agriculture provides the catalyst for the development of essential infrastructure, including transport, communication and support services.

Building new markets
Syngentas support of international development aims to address the moral need to act and uphold strategic objectives to build long term markets, enter new markets and secure preferred access. We intend to monitor our investments in these markets, and develop goals to target investment effectively.

The role of technology
Technological innovation has a vital role to play in raising farm productivity above subsistence levels. To encourage progress in developing countries, Syngenta selectively provides its technology, royalty-free, to projects benefiting subsistence farmers. Appropriate technology transfer and intellectual property agreements can help to meet the needs of farmers in the developing world and build local capacities.

Golden Rice
One example is the Golden Rice project. Through biotechnology, it is possible to produce rice that contains a precursor to Vitamin A. Golden Rice is one way of helping to address the problem of Vitamin A deficiency, which is responsible for 500,000 cases of irreversible blindness and one to two million deaths each year.

Syngenta is donating licence free rights for the inventors to work towards humanitarian objectives, as well as regulatory and licensing expertise and other technologies to ensure the development of Golden Rice in a legal, ethical and socially responsible way.

Sharing knowledge and skills
Recognizing that we bring valuable capabilities, such as an understanding of agricultural best practices, Syngenta shares its expertise through partnerships benefiting all stakeholders. For example, in China and Zimbabwe we have formed partnerships which provide access to technology, know-how and training, while opening new markets to us.

World Bank Assessment
In 2003, Syngenta was selected to partner with the World Bank in an initiative to consider how agricultural science and technology can help the 800 million chronically undernourished people in the developing world and meet growing food needs over the next 50 years.

Syngenta was honored to be part of an expert group comprised of representatives of business, politics, food, farming and development and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which set the framework for a review that will gather input from many sources with the goal of making future agricultural research more relevant to farmers needs. For Syngenta, this will help us target our future research efforts more effectively to help developing countries.

Malaria prevention
The impact of malaria on development is devastating: according to World Health Organization (WHO) figures, this mosquito-borne disease kills over a million people, predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa, and acutely affects another 300 to 500 million each year.

Syngenta is working with one of the principal initiatives in the Roll Back Malaria program, jointly founded by the WHO, United Nations Development Program, UNICEF and the World Bank, encouraging widespread, correct use of insecticide-treated bed nets as a proven barrier against malaria. Syngenta has designed an insecticide formulation to treat bed nets for control of mosquitoes for up to a year.

Least Developed Countries
We are active in a number of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) as an investor, an employer and a provider of products and services. For example, in 20 sub-Saharan African countries we invest in activities as diverse as public health programs, cotton rehabilitation projects, country reconstruction and supporting preservation of natural land and water. Our investment in sub-Saharan African LDCs now stands at $5 million: we aim to grow this further in future years.

World Bank Assessment     I want to take this opportunity to thank Syngenta for its invaluable assistance in making the consultative process on the proposed International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development this past year such a success. The interactions between the government, private sector, NGO, consumer and producer representatives were truly remarkable. We really appreciate the constructive role Syngenta played in this important endeavor and look forward to continuing to work with you in the future. Robert T. Watson World Bank Chief Scientist & Director Environmentally & Socially Sustainable Development (ESSD)

Dr Andrew Bennett Executive Director, Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture

The Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture
The Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture supports projects that improve livelihoods, promote sustainable agriculture and increase food security in the poorest regions of the world. It also aims to encourage awareness and public debate on issues that impact sustainable agriculture.

The Foundation aims to build partnerships generating direct benefits for those in need
in the dry South and to intensify research of developing countries carried out by national and international institutions.

• Improved on-farm yields by 30% to 100% in Mali from new varieties of disease tolerant millet, sorghum and cowpeas; developing pilot schemes to improve the dissemination
  of improved seeds and agronomic technologies to small holder farmers
• Published a report on soil and water conservation in Eritrea: testing micro-irrigation and demonstrating how it has improved household food security and supporting the national millet breeding program and the testing of crop varieties for local conditions
• Developed insect resistant maize in Kenya by field testing conventional insect resistant maize and the development and screening of transgenic lines. Additionally interviewed 1,000 farmers to better understand their insect management programs and explain the relevance of new techniques and technologies to them

The Foundation actively promotes discussion of issues relating to sustainable agriculture in the developing world. In October 2003, the Foundation sponsored a symposium in Switzerland on Biodiversity and Food Security and how best to share the benefits of plant genetic resources.

In December 2003, over 100 scientists, farmers representatives and policy makers participated in a symposium on sustainable agriculture in the Sahelian Mali, to review experience and lessons learned in trying to improve the livelihoods of farmers in the region. The meeting focused in particular on the development of partnerships, regional collaboration, new technologies and follow up action.

More information about the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture is available at www.syngentafoundation.org.