WASHINGTON, April 30, 2014 – Monsanto is increasing its commitment to sustainability, pledging to boost efficiency in its irrigation efforts and to help curb greenhouse gas emissions by developing seeds and management tools that allow farmers to make better use of crop nutrients and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant made the announcement yesterday at a Walmart-sponsored Sustainability Products Expo in Bentonville, Ark., where more than a dozen companies, including Kellogg, Coca-Cola and Cargill agreed to increase collaboration in order to help feed a surging world population.
“Agriculture is at the intersection of many major challenges today – whether it’s growing population and food demand, water availability, soil health or climate change,” Grant said in a statement. “Addressing these challenges directly is what all of us at Monsanto are focused on every day – working together with farmers and partners around the world to deliver a safe, affordable and nutritious food supply that sustains our planet.”
Monsanto, the world’s biggest seed maker, promised to increase water-use efficiency across its global seed production operations by 25 percent by 2020, by expanding implementation of drip-irrigation systems and other techniques. The company estimates that these efforts will save between 30 billion and 80 billion gallons of water annually, the equivalent of filling 45,000 to 110,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Grant also pledged that the company will continue to develop smarter seeds and tools that enable farmers to use nutrients more efficiently and curb greenhouse gas emissions on one million acres in the U.S. by 2020.
“Agriculture has the opportunity to deliver new tools to help farmers use resources more efficiently while increasing production,” Grant said. “To support these efforts, Monsanto pledges to work and share with farmer customers, stakeholders, industry groups and partners to help accelerate these efficiencies.”