Poor farming practices leave soil vulnerable  to erosion by wind and rain. In aggregate, an  area large enough to feed Europe has already  become too degraded to produce food. We  need to help farmers increase soil fertility and  improve the productivity on their land in  sustainable ways. That means crop rotations,  restoring degraded land, planting vegetation  around fields to prevent erosion and techniques  to avoid unnecessary tilling. 1  Fertile soils are important for carbon storage.  By reducing soil erosion, greenhouse gas  emissions from soil are also reduced. Through  cropland management, prevention of land  conversion, and modern soil conservation  technologies, the agricultural sector could  stop contributing excess greenhouse gases  by 2030. 2 40 percent  3  of water used for agriculture is  wasted. Investment is needed to develop  innovative water-efficient technologies, drought- tolerant seeds, crop protection products, and  optimized irrigation systems. In 2011, we  launched ARTESIAN ™ , the first corn hybrid that  uses moisture more efficiently to give higher  yields on drought-stressed land. Herbicides that  reduce the need for plowing improve soil’s  ability to absorb water, protecting it against  erosion and water run-off. This has the added  benefit of preventing agricultural chemicals and  soil in fields from run-off into rivers and streams.  1  United Nations  Environment Programme  www.unep.org 2  United Nations Environment  Programme Rapid Response  Assessment;  The Natural Fix?  The Role of Ecosystems in  Climate Change Mitigation ,  June 2009 3  2030 Water Resources Group;  Charting our Water Future,  Economic framework to  inform decision-making ;  December 2009 Biodiversity and agriculture depend on each  other; the diversity of nature must be secured  to enable global food supply and quality of life.  We believe agricultural policies should help  and incentivize growers to nurture biodiversity  as well as to produce more from their  existing acreage. If we do not sustainably increase agricultural  productivity on current farmland, we will not  be able to protect biodiversity for future  generations. To accomplish the task at hand,  farmers and policy makers can coordinate  efforts to protect and enhance biodiversity.  For instance, growers can turn unproductive  field margins into natural habitats for a wide  range of species including pollinators. Strong rural economies are the key to  sustainable and productive agricultural systems.  There is a prosperity gap between rural and  urban populations that causes urban migration.  But to meet the growing demand for food  we need prosperous rural communities, and  farming needs to be an attractive business  proposition. We want farmers to earn better  incomes and to increase both their quality  of life and their capability as stewards of land,  water and biodiversity.  Building rural prosperity Saving water Protecting biodiversity Preserving the land Syngenta Annual Review 2011 12 The Vietnam  Coffee Task Force The program helps  increase the yield  and quality of my coffee  beans, and I can get a  better price for them. Van Thiem Phan Coffee grower  Tân Thanh, Lâm Hà, Vietnam More online www.syngenta.com/ar2011