Syngenta Connections program launches first project on water use efficiency in rice

Syngenta has launched its first Connections program aimed at helping rice growers in North India farm more sustainably by providing skills and tools to use water more efficiently. The project will simultaneously enhance the knowledge and skills of selected Australian agricultural university students, who will work with Syngenta to implement training and demonstrations for these farmers.

The students will demonstrate to Indian growers how to use a panipipe in combination with an alternate wetting and drying (AWD) technique, developed by the International Rice Research Institute. A panipipe and an AWD enable growers to determine when it is necessary to irrigate and, consequently, reduce their overall level of water use while improving their farming efficiency and sustainability.

“This is a mutually beneficial platform where the farmers learn sustainable farming techniques and the students have an opportunity to experience a different farming system,” said Andrew McConville, Head of Corporate Affairs, Syngenta Asia Pacific. “Through our Connections program, Syngenta aims to identify and develop platforms that support the exchange of skills and knowledge between different groups within agriculture.”

Syngenta will work with the agricultural faculties of several Australian universities and, through its partner Rimfire Resources, will select students to participate in this project. These students, who will be partially self-sponsored, will first undergo training by Syngenta and other relevant industry experts before spending about 10 days in India training local growers.

The Syngenta Connections program, the first of its kind in Asia, seeks to link organisations, institutions and growers to increase access to technology for growers, improve the sustainability of agriculture practices and enhance knowledge for other key industry stakeholders. By encouraging the exchange of innovative solutions, Syngenta contributes to helping the region grow more with less and meet its food security challenges.