For healthy potatoes - Bayer CropScience

A soil structure with the optimum self-regulatory mechanisms is the basis for
sustainable agriculture.
Precision farming is a technology with strong potential in the service of agriculture
and the management of natural resources.
management of natural resources is inextricably
linked to improving the productivity
and profitability of farmers worldwide;
the challenge is to reach out to them.
Better information and
precision farming technologies
One of the most exciting areas of innovation
lies in the development and application
of information and precision farming
tools for agriculture and natural
resources management. Precision farming
(PF), or Site Specific Crop Management
(SSCM), is defined as “a systems’
approach to managing soils and crops to
reduce decision uncertainty through better
understanding and management of spatial
and temporal variability”. Expertise from
many disciplines is utilised to integrate
data from multiple sources to support decision-making
at field, farm, watershed
and/or regional levels. Most applications to
date have focused on optimising the use of
nutrients, pesticides, water and energy.
It is clear that PF technology needs to
be used in ways that fit local farming conditions
but there is no doubt that site-specific
management can improve profitability.
Adoption of PF in different parts of the
world has progressed patchily. In Europe
and North America, efforts to reverse the
long-term decline in profitability coupled
with environmental issues of agriculture
have been the main drivers. In some developing
countries, simplified forms of
SSCM have been created, driven by the
need to produce more food, utilise inputs
more efficiently and increase farm profits
in response to declining food prices. The
various concepts and technologies that will
constitute tomorrow’s precision agriculture
are still emerging.
Where next
The above examples by no means exhaust
the range of innovative technologies and
approaches that are becoming increasingly
available to tackle the on-going challenge
of sustainable increased productivity facing
world agriculture. In the quest for the
best solutions, trade-offs have been done in
the past at the expense of the environment.
But this is no longer acceptable and lessons
have been learnt that are leading to a
more integrated and holistic farming
approach. Balanced resource management
is key and Bayer CropScience is confident
that its scientists will make an increasing
contribution over the years ahead. The
company in this context is committed to
promoting the adoption of more sustainable
land management practices at a landscape
level within the framework of ecoagriculture
through ICM. Building the
capacity to develop innovative locallyadapted
approaches, especially for the
many small scale farmers hungry for
knowledge will need to be addressed most
effectively through cooperation with governments,
non-governmental organisations,
international organizations and
development agencies, the agri-food
industry and farmer’ organisations.
Bayer CropScience operates within a
multitude of economic, social, political
and environmental contexts at the local,
national or regional levels that are constantly
changing and evolving. Doing business
varies accordingly and the challenge
is to tailor activities that benefit the environment,
social equity and healthy economic
growth in the communities in question.
We need to have a good idea of future
needs to guide research starting now as
new products commonly take over a
decade to develop before they reach users.
The pace of change is accelerating and
hence calls for a matching response from a
R&D company. Bayer CropScience stands
ready to share views with key stakeholders
to see how best choices can be made
together to achieve our common goal: sustainable
development in agriculture. ■
Annik Dollacker,
Bayer CropScience AG, Germany
2/06 COURIER 27