Varun Vats is the Global Lead for Public Policy and Partnerships at Syngenta. Syngenta supports smallholder and large-scale farms worldwide to help meet global food security challenges. They play a vital role in the food chain to safely feed the world in an environmentally and socially sustainable way. During COVID-19, farmers are facing challenges including meeting rising food demand, coping with supply chain disruptions and labor shortages. In response, Syngenta is working to make crops more efficient without using more resources, helping farmers stay safe through online guidance and protective equipment, protecting workers, setting up a global supply chain platform, and engaging partners on strengthening food systems.

1. Varun VATS
Global Lead, Public Policy and Partnerships
Making food systems resilient to
Covid-19
Classification: PUBLIC

2. 2
Supporting key crops with Crop Protection and Seeds offers
Enabling growers
worldwide
Classification: PUBLIC

3. 3
Helping small and large farms meet the challenges
of global food security
Our ambition
We play a vital role in the food chain
to safely feed the world and take care
of our planet.
Our ambition is to bring greater food
security in an environmentally and
socially sustainable way.
450Msmallholder
farms
~2.0 Ha
8Mlarge-scale
farms
>100 Ha
Classification: PUBLIC

4. 4
Challenges farmers are facing in COVID times
Classification: PUBLIC
depend on agriculture for a living
Grow more
crops while
using less
water and
inputs
Cope with
volatile
weather, floods
and drought
Ensure local
food and
nutritional
security
Meet rising
demand for
more food
Cope with
trade
distortions -
export
restrictions
Tackle
supply
chain
disruptions
Overcome
labor
shortages

5. 5
Syngenta response to COVID-19
Make crops more efficient
Governments have enabled us to continue with our operations all across the world. We are working to
provide solutions to farmers to help them increasing their productivity - without using more land, water or
labor
Help farmers stay safe
We're having at the moment, a lot of online dialogues with farmers, ramping up our stewardship measures:
providing advice, PPE, face masks, hand sanitizers - We've been producing hand sanitizers and are donating them
to local communities.
Look after every worker
We have necessary hygiene measures being applied at all our operations ensuring: physical distancing,
regular washing of hands, wearing face masks, etc.
Set-up a global supply chain platform
We have built upon a network analysis of existing supply chain platforms of ours with a COVID-19 focus:
providing data and analytics on supply chain hotspots, bottlenecks, etc.
Engage with partners for exchange of ideas and thought leadership
We are engaging with our strategic partners: WEF, WBCSD, FAO, to exchange perspectives, learning, and
to build recommendations on the near term implications of COVID-19 on food, and the longer-term need to
strengthen the integrity of food systems through collective action

6. 6
Adding value sustainably
Classification: PUBLIC
Learn more at
www.goodgrowthplan.com