FMC Corporation, a prominent global agricultural sciences company, has announced a substantial commitment of $30.5 million towards the Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge, an initiative aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goal of achieving Zero Hunger by 2030. This pledge emerged from the UN Food Systems Summit Action Track 1 and urges companies to align their business strategies and investments with the global effort to eliminate hunger.
FMC’s commitment encompasses a range of initiatives aimed at supporting smallholder farmers, rural women, and youth, as well as driving advancements in climate-resilient technologies and digital tools for farmers across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Julie DiNatale, vice president and chief sustainability officer at FMC, emphasizes the company’s concern for the growing food insecurity crisis and expresses the belief that corporations like FMC have a responsibility to leverage their resources and expertise to address this issue. DiNatale explains that FMC’s commitment to the Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge aligns with the company’s ongoing investments in assisting farmers, securing the future of food, and contributing to the overarching goal of achieving Zero Hunger by 2030.
Key Elements of FMC’s Pledge
A significant portion of FMC’s commitment is dedicated to precision agriculture technology, which aims to help farmers adapt to increasingly unpredictable growing conditions, particularly the changing weather patterns that introduce new and evolving pest challenges. As part of its pledge, FMC will allocate resources to launch its Arc™ farm intelligence platform on farms in several countries including Cameroon, Burkina Faso, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Philippines, Colombia, and Mexico by 2030. The Arc™ platform provides real-time data and insights to farmers about pest pressure on their crops, enabling proactive pest management and prevention of widespread crop damage. FMC is committed to providing the platform and necessary field monitoring equipment to farmers at no cost, ensuring that smallholder and historically underserved farmers can access advanced solutions to enhance their productivity and resilience.
FMC’s commitment places a strong focus on smallholder farmers, who play a crucial role in global food production and are becoming increasingly vital in the Asia Pacific region, contributing to economic stability and food security. The company will direct part of its commitment to the Sustainable, Transformational Initiative toward Development (STRIDE) program, which has been launched in India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. This initiative aims to enhance smallholder farmers’ access to innovative crop protection technologies and extension services, ultimately leading to improved yields, increased incomes, and an enhanced quality of life for more than 175,000 smallholder farmers across the region within three years. The STRIDE program emphasizes technology, knowledge-building, and community engagement.
In addition to the above, FMC’s commitment includes investments in various partnerships and programs. For instance, FMC is collaborating with G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology to provide training in beekeeping to rural women in India, offering them a sustainable source of income. Furthermore, in Brazil, FMC is partnering with Traive, a fintech startup, to help small- to medium-sized farmers access credit for essential crop inputs.
The combination of these efforts underscores FMC’s dedication to combatting hunger, supporting farmers, and fostering sustainable agricultural practices in regions across the globe.