The 2026 Sustainable Global Leaders Conference, themed "Building a Resilient Future Together: Global Governance, Innovation-Driven Growth, and Industrial Upgrading," was held in Shanghai from October 20 to 22.
Syngenta Group CEO Hengde Qin delivered a video address.
In his speech, Hengde Qin stated that future agriculture requires "higher yields with lower impact." Global food demand is projected to grow by 50% to 70% by 2050 compared to 2020: increasing production can meet rising demand and reduce pressure to cultivate new farmland, while lowering environmental impact means cutting emissions, protecting natural ecosystems, improving soil health, and enhancing water use efficiency.
"We do not have to choose between increasing agricultural productivity and advancing sustainability 鈥?the answer remains innovation," he said.
Centering on the corporate purpose of "Innovation for Farming, Breaking Boundaries," he cited examples in three areas.
First, seeds. Advanced breeding and gene editing technologies have shortened research and development that once took decades to just a few short years. Syngenta scientists developed Artesian drought-tolerant corn based on crops' natural drought-tolerant traits, achieving higher water use efficiency.
Second, crop protection. According to UN Food and Agriculture Organization statistics, up to 40% of global crop yields are lost each year to weeds, pests, and diseases. Modern crop protection solutions are becoming increasingly targeted and precise, with application rates dropping from approximately 1,000 grams per acre in the past to 30 grams or even less.
Third, biologicals. As the company with the highest global revenue in this field, Syngenta uses seaweed extracts and other biological solutions to help crops withstand drought and extreme heat, working synergistically with traditional crop protection.
Hengde Qin particularly addressed the role of artificial intelligence. "In agriculture, AI is not meant to replace farmers and agronomists, but to help them make better decisions faster." Syngenta's digital agriculture platform Cropwise integrates AI, satellite imagery, and big data, and now empowers more than 4 million farmers worldwide, covering 77 million hectares of farmland. It also accelerates laboratory innovation, helping researchers develop new technologies more quickly.
He emphasized that the core of all this is not technology itself, but food security 鈥?Food security is a basic human right that sustains healthy communities, social stability, and economic development." Against the backdrop of continuously growing global food demand, intensifying climate pressures, and tightening natural resources, ensuring food security is more important than ever. Agricultural innovation is not optional 鈥?it is imperative.
The following is the full transcript of the speech:
Hello everyone, thank you for inviting me to participate in the 2026 Sustainable Global Leaders Conference. Although I cannot be in Shanghai in person to meet with you all, I am still very honored to have the opportunity to share some of my thoughts on the future of sustainable agriculture.
First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the organizers for inviting me to speak at the 2026 Sustainable Global Leaders Conference. I am honored to take this opportunity to share an important issue we currently face in global agriculture: how can we help farmers produce more food in a more sustainable way? In Syngenta's own words: how can we achieve more output with fewer inputs?
Agriculture is closely connected to every one of us. Whether or not we work in the agricultural industry, we all primarily depend on agricultural production for the food on our tables every day. But the farmers who provide us with three meals a day are currently bearing increasing pressure from climate change, resource shortages, and continuously rising global food demand. As these pressures continue to intensify, the issue we have raised becomes increasingly urgent.
I personally firmly believe that the answer lies in innovation. As the world's largest agricultural technology company by revenue, Syngenta is committed to helping farmers achieve higher yields while reducing environmental impact. Before explaining why this matters, let us first look at the reality facing farmers around the world.
This summer, Switzerland, where I live, along with most of Europe, once again witnessed increasingly unpredictable weather. Farmers across the continent encountered drought, water shortages, and rising temperatures. It is estimated that last June's heatwave alone caused a reduction of approximately 9 million tons in European grain production, resulting in 2 billion euros in lost income for local farmers. Such situations are by no means unique to Europe 鈥?China also faces many of the same pressures. So farmers are often the first to bear the consequences of these climate changes.
At the same time, the world depends on farmers and agricultural production more than ever before. As the global population grows, food demand continues to climb, but the land, water, and other natural resources needed to produce food are limited. The question is no longer whether agriculture needs to change, but how it should change.
This brings me to the viewpoint I want to share: future agriculture requires higher yields with lower impact. The future of agriculture depends on whether we can achieve both goals simultaneously. This challenge is formidable 鈥?global food demand is projected to grow by 50% to 70% by 2050 compared to 2020. Increasing production can meet growing demand while reducing pressure to cultivate new farmland; lowering environmental impact means reducing emissions, protecting natural ecosystems, improving soil health, and enhancing water use efficiency. But we do not have to choose between increasing agricultural productivity and advancing sustainability 鈥?rather, we need to think about how to achieve both at the same time, and the answer remains innovation.
This is precisely what reflects Syngenta's corporate purpose: Innovation for Farming, Breaking Boundaries. Helping farmers produce more food in a more sustainable way is exactly our focus. "Innovation for Farming, Breaking Boundaries" means integrating science, technology, and expertise to help farmers increase yields while minimizing resource consumption.
Next, let me give a few examples.
First, seeds. Advanced breeding and gene editing technologies allow us to cultivate crops more quickly and precisely. Research and development that once took decades can now be completed in just a few short years. These innovations can endow crops with many excellent traits, such as stronger pest resistance, longer storage life, and better growth performance under adverse planting conditions. For example, Syngenta scientists identified naturally occurring drought-tolerant traits in crops and bred Artesian drought-tolerant corn, which has higher water use efficiency and effectively helps farmers stabilize yields when rainfall is insufficient.
Second, crop protection. Every year, weeds, pests, and diseases cause farmers to lose substantial potential yields. According to UN Food and Agriculture Organization statistics, up to 40% of global crop yields are lost to such threats each year. Reducing these yield losses is one of the most efficient ways to increase production on existing farmland. Therefore, crop protection technology continues to iterate, with modern solutions becoming increasingly targeted and precise. In the past, approximately 1,000 grams of pesticide were needed per acre, while today's leading products require only 30 grams or even less per acre to achieve excellent control results.
Third, biologicals. Biologicals represent one of the fastest-growing areas of agricultural innovation, and Syngenta is the company with the highest global revenue in this field. Biologicals harness the power of nature itself to improve crop health and enhance stress resistance. As climate patterns become increasingly unpredictable, farmers increasingly need comprehensive solutions that balance effectiveness, profitability, and sustainability. Biologicals are not a replacement for traditional crop protection technologies 鈥?they work synergistically. For example, Syngenta uses seaweed extracts to help crops withstand drought, extreme heat, and other abiotic stresses. Such solutions help farmers build more resilient production systems while reducing environmental impact.
Today, there is another technology that is accelerating agricultural innovation across all these areas 鈥?artificial intelligence. Currently, AI has sparked much discussion. Some believe it will replace human expertise, but I hold a different view. In agriculture, AI is not meant to replace farmers and agronomists, but to help them make better decisions faster.
Syngenta's digital agriculture platform Cropwise is one example: the platform integrates AI, satellite imagery, and big data, and now empowers more than 4 million farmers worldwide, covering 77 million hectares of farmland, helping farmers make more scientifically informed decisions throughout the entire crop growth cycle. Beyond field applications, AI is also accelerating laboratory innovation, helping researchers develop new technologies more quickly and discover promising solutions.
But ultimately, the core of all this is not technology itself, but food security. Food security has always been the fundamental support for human progress. Food security is a basic human right that sustains healthy communities, social stability, and economic development. Against the backdrop of continuously growing global food demand, intensifying climate pressures, and tightening natural resources, ensuring food security is more important than ever. For this reason, agricultural innovation is not optional 鈥?it is imperative.
The challenge is clearly before us: we must increase food production while reducing agriculture's environmental impact on the planet. If productivity cannot be improved, we will need to occupy more land and consume more water and various resources to meet growing food demand. This challenge must be confronted immediately. If ignored, the burden left for future generations will be even heavier.
But I firmly believe that we have the technological means and the opportunity to reverse this trajectory. Agriculture can absolutely achieve both higher yields and greater sustainability, but this cannot be accomplished through any single technology alone. It requires the combined force of science, innovation, digital technology, and artificial intelligence. Most importantly, we must ensure that these technological advances and outcomes benefit farmers broadly, regardless of their scale.
This is precisely our purpose: Innovation for Farming, Breaking Boundaries. And all of this begins with listening to farmers and truly understanding their needs. It also requires collaboration across the entire agri-food value chain 鈥?Syngenta, industry partners, food companies, governments, and policymakers 鈥?we all share a mission. If all parties work together, we can accelerate the pace of innovation, promote the widespread adoption of new technologies, and create more favorable conditions for farmers' bountiful harvests and success. Only when farmers have access to the right tools, technologies, and expertise can we truly realize the vision we all share: higher yields, lower impact. Thank you all.
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