Food Productivity Requires Collaboration, Research Investment

Paul said. “To be successful, we need to take a holistic approach and go beyond the development of new seed varieties and technologies if solutions are to be economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.”

5/16/2011 --- Investing in research directed at the needs of smallholder farmers is key to meeting the world food needs, Paul Schickler, president, DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred, told attendees during the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries held last week in Istanbul, Turkey.

“All farmers need to succeed if we are to meet the world’s demands,” Paul said. “We have found that working with farmers and their local communities to understand their unique challenges is critical to getting them the right tools and technology to help close the production gap and, in turn, achieve food security.”

In addition to seed research, Paul called for investment in areas of agronomic training, infrastructure and market access, as well as credit and financing.

DuPont invested more than half of its $1.7 billion R&D budget in 2010 on increasing food production.

“Today’s challenge presents a real opportunity for the public and private sectors to intensify collaboration and bring impactful solutions to farmers,” Paul said.  “To be successful, we need to take a holistic approach and go beyond the development of new seed varieties and technologies if solutions are to be economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.”