Securing Yields through Sustainability

How do we respond to the world’s increasing demand for food while protecting the environment and biodiversity for future generations? BASF’s sustainable agricultural work helps to address these global challenges. Our business is well-positioned to help customers become more sustainable. We provide farmers with reliable and innovative products, but also support them with our know-how.

BASF understands the many challenges farmers face today – running a successful business, protecting the land they live on and farm, as well as providing us all with an increasing quantity of healthy, affordable food.
BASF has already implemented a number of effective programs in many parts of the world, with the company’s experts and farmers working closely together to achieve groundbreaking results.

Many farmers around the world simply do not have access to the right products or to technology that is individually tailored to their needs. Alternatively, they may not have the appropriate knowledge or skills. According to a UN report, every second person suffering from chronic hunger is a small-scale farmer. If these smallholder farmers are lucky, their harvests are just about sufficient to meet their family’s needs. They could significantly improve their finances and the well-being of their families by increasing yields. However, according to a study by Deutsche Bank Research, farmers need access to education, knowledge, capital, loans, markets, and risk-management strategies.

In India, soybean yields have been extremely low in international comparison, amounting to only about a third of the worldwide average. The BASF India team found that there were many reasons – inappropriate fertilization, excess seeding, and incorrect use of crop protection products coupled with a general lack of knowledge about good agricultural practice.

In 2006, the “Samruddhi” idea was born. Meaning prosperity in Sanskrit, Samruddhi represents a holistic business approach that helps farmers and their communities become more sustainable. The idea was simple: Talk with farmers, find ways to boost their yields and profitability, and offer hands-on advice.

In 2007, the Samruddhi project was initiated in Madhya Pradesh, an Indian state, where about 75 percent of the land used for soy cultivation is located. BASF sent 280 agronomists to work with farmers. Starting three months before planting and ending when the soybeans were sold to market, these agronomists conducted thousands of workshops, harvest days, market days, and visits to individual farms. Each agronomist provided support and guidance to around 150 to 225 farmers. Advice ranged from selecting the right seed to educating farmers as to when they should apply crop-protection products during the harvest, in addition to advice being offered about sales and cost-control measures such as price making and negotiation practices. Each farmer received an individual worksheet to help them track costs and earnings and to calculate profit per acre.

The results were amazing – in 2008, the soybean yield increased by 31 percent compared to traditional cultivation methods, with farmers increasing their net income by 60 percent. In 2009, comparative yield increases averaged 24 percent, despite a severe drought.

Mahendra Singh (a 32-year-old who owns a six-acre farm) in Sayri, India, has used Samruddhi practices for the last two years. “Thanks to Samruddhi, my yield has increased from six quintals per acre to eight quintals per acre. With this additional income, I was able to get my house repaired and buy a generator for irrigation work. This year, I am planning to purchase a motor bike.”

While the initial project benefitted about 30,000 Indian farmers, the success story is ongoing. In 2008, the Department of Agriculture of the State of Madhya Pradesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding for activities in an additional region, the Harda District.

Currently, around 170,000 farmers in India are collaborating with 700 BASF agronomists in order to make soy cultivation as sustainable as possible. The project has also delivered business benefits for BASF. In the period 2006 to 2009, the company saw revenues for its soybean plant-protection products increase 60 percent annually.

Encouraged by this success, BASF has ambitious goals for the future. Similar projects will make potato cultivation in India more sustainable, and help increase the yield of chilies, guar beans, and peanuts. In 2010, BASF extended Samruddhi to Indonesia and Sri Lanka. BASF also plans to launch a customized version of the project in Africa.

Sustainable agriculture is not just about increasing yields, but also about taking nature and biodiversity into account. A project in the United Kingdom illustrates how conventional farming methods and biodiversity can co-exist in mutual harmony.

Since 2002, BASF has been working with a conventional farmer near a small English village, Rawcliffe Bridge. Within just a few years, the Hinchliffe family’s arable farm has developed into an attractive habitat for around 100 bird and 150 plant species, some of them endangered. The idea was developed in collaboration with the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

One hectare near woodland was sown with a grass mix while two hectares nearby were sown with field margin mixtures – all aimed at encouraging beneficial insects, and farmland birds, for example skylarks. The farm also provides popular retreats for animals like the water vole and the brown hare. Working closely with local wildlife advisors, a “bed and breakfast” approach of providing nest boxes and food for birds was introduced. This helped to create ideal breeding conditions for bird species like the tree sparrow, the blue tit, and the great tit. Some farming practices were also slightly changed to minimize the impact to birds and their source of food, particularly at nesting time. “I want to stress that there was almost no impact to our commercial business – we didn’t use any special methods – the only commitment on our side was patience, a willingness to modify some farming practices, and a bit of time,” explains Mr. Hinchliffe, manager of the family farm. “Based on our positive experience, this is a simple, practical but effective way for farmers to protect nature and wildlife. It’s a win-win – nature and intensive farming are compatible and can live happily side by side.”

The Agricultural Trials Services successfully conducted a number of comparative bird studies on the farm as well as analysis of different wheat varieties, fungicides, herbicides, and seed treatment programs. BASF participated in the studies along with leading seed companies. This helped to generate a high-quality, comprehensive database, which will help inform future projects.

Rawcliffe Bridge clearly demonstrates the benefits of using crop rotation, best practice agronomy, and field margins to enhance the number of birds, butterflies, and bees. The results show that commercial farming systems – based on best practice – combined with sensible field margin and woodland management can deliver best practice biodiversity without impacting the commercial viability of the farm. This example sets a new precedent and should serve to inspire farmers everywhere.

Sustainable agriculture is not a short-term goal, but is rather focused on long-term success – not just for the economy but in the important areas of social responsibility and environmental protection.
For over 20 years, BASF has teamed up with a broad range of partners from the business and scientific communities in Brazil, including the Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (German Technical Cooperation) to support “Mata Viva,” an environmental education and reforestation program. The goal is to conserve biodiversity, preserve the quality of water, and create areas between forests to encourage native vegetation and wildlife. The project receives funding from the Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (German Investment Corporation).

“DEG supports the BASF initiative as part of the Public-Private Partnership program of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development,” says Marco Christ, DEG’s Investment Manager. “Mata Viva is a very interesting project as it supports agricultural cooperatives spread across four Brazilian states, effectively from São Paulo to Paraná. The project is now moving toward even more challenging targets, focusing on reclaiming very badly degraded land.”

Since 1984, with the help of BASF and its employees, 500,000 native trees have been planted, covering an area of around 500 hectares – the equivalent of nearly 500 soccer fields. A hundred technicians have been trained on how to identify and map affected areas, complete a diagnosis, and prepare a reforestation plan. Through the media of theatre and art, children are being taught the importance of nature and recycling, using natural fibers to make arts and crafts.

This experience is more than just a fun extracurricular activity – it is fostering a new generation of socially responsible children who understand that precision and high-yield agriculture can exist with biodiversity in mutual harmony, as the socio-eco efficient model for the future.

World food and agriculture face huge challenges in the decades ahead. It is possible to provide sufficient high-quality food at affordable prices to the rapidly growing world population, while at the same time reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and preserving natural habitats. BASF employees will continue to help farmers around the world achieve more yield, using less land and water, while protecting the environment and precious natural resources. Sustainable agriculture is the key to achieving these essential goals