DowDuPont Agriculture Division is Now Corteva Agriscience™

The Floriculture Magazine spoke to Corteva Agriscience™ Agriculture Division of DowDuPont Chief Operating Officer Mr. James C. Collins in a round table meeting with journalists. We engaged him on the state of agriculture and how technology can be used to boost output and support food security while taking care of emerging environmental and health concerns. He was in Nairobi accompanied by other senior company staff from Africa and Middle East region.

What brings you to Kenya?
Two years ago, Dow and DuPont made a very deliberate decision to merge and create three standalone companies, including a pure play agriculture company. End of February, the company announced brand names for the three independent companies, reflecting ongoing progress towards separations to serve their consumers better. At the same time, we are focusing on building our business in sub-Saharan Africa. As part of that decision, we located our East Africa headquarters in Nairobi. We have a leadership team for East African region here — from where we are trying to build a foundation for agriculture in the region. That’s why we are placing a lot of emphasis in this part of the world.

What does this mean to Kenya’s Agricultural Sector?
In Corteva Agriscience™, we bring together three businesses with deep connections and dedication to generations of farmers. Our new name reflects our commitment to enhancing their productivity as well as the health and well-being of the consumers they serve. Our name reflects our purpose: enriching the lives of those who produce and those who consume, ensuring progress for generations to come. With the most balanced portfolio of products in the industry, nearly a century of agronomic expertise, and an unparalleled innovation engine, we are creating a new agriculture company that will work together with the entire food ecosystem to produce a secure supply of healthy food sustainably and efficiently. Other than the regional headquarters, we have also built a state of the art seed production facility which we will be improving to higher standards, we have a research centre, that is part of the Africa Technology hub and we are investing in talent.

Describe Corteva Products
Corteva represents the most comprehensive and balanced seed and crop protection portfolio in the world and a strong pipeline of new products that will enable us to continue to provide substantial value to farmers now and over the long term. Corteva is known for its Pioneer and Pannar brands in the seed category. In crop protection we have well established product brands like Delegate, Closer and very soon we will be launching Radiant which is a good control for Fall Army Worms. Other than Herbicides and Insecticides, Corteva has also lined up some good fungicides. Our R&D is also lining up some very interesting products which will be launched between now and 2021.

Food insecurity has become a major challenge to Kenya where climate change has become a reality. How is Corteva relevant to this emerging dispensation?
There is no one single solution that addresses the whole challenge. It is a multiple dimensional challenge that requires collaboration from companies like us, Government and other partners. One thing that can make a big impact on this matter is technology. Other than high yielding resilient seed and quality crop protection products, we are also driving customer value through digitization by offering the most advanced digital solutions. These include Farm management software by Granular®, Agronomy software and services by Encirca®, Farmland valuation and research by AcreValue TM. When farmers use our products and services and get better harvest, they become part of the solution to food insecurity.

There is also tremendous opportunity of doubling productivity by enabling farmers to access the right products and services. Technology is a great piece of the answer to food security. But for technology to reach the farmer, there is a need for enabling policies that allow companies to develop technology that is tailored for realties of the African farmers and put that technology in their hands.

Is agriculture a profitable economic activity?
Agriculture is profitable when you do the right things, and a great piece of being profitable is to be able to embrace the right technology. Corteva Agriscience helps farms and farmers flourish, and together we forge meaningful relationships that advance agricultural industry. We are on the ground, innovating collaboratively with producers to help enable their success. We earn the trust of customers and consumers by doing what is right and delivering solutions that meet their changing needs. Partnering with Corteva will lead to a profitable farmer.

Is GMO crop the solution to weather challenges and is Kenya losing out on or failing to harness this opportunity due to policy constraints?
There is no doubt biotech is one of the tools farmers can use to adopt to changing patterns we face in the world today. It is not a magic bullet but a powerful tool that has helped farmers to manage risks and increase yields as well as significantly reduce the use of pesticides in the fields.

We know technology works and if farmers have access to it, they will improve their productivity and profitability of agriculture as an economic activity. This in turn helps lift growers, especially the millions of small scale-farmers in rural areas out of poverty.

A good point to start with is giving countries the opportunity to choose whatever technology they think is good for their environment. Corteva respects country policies and regulations. Kenya is yet to formulate that policy. Corteva has invested heavily on Biotechnology and we will line up the products when the policies are done.

Farming in Kenya has been Left for the Old and Men. What are you doing to bring the youth and women into farming?
This is not a Kenyan problem but a global problem. Given that agriculture is one of the continent’s biggest economic sectors, generating broad economic development and providing much of the population with food, this poses a serious threat to the future of farming and to meeting the demands of a rapidly growing urban population.

Corteva has set an example in its employment. In this region, 40% of the staff is women. Looking at the age set of the employees most is relatively young.

Likewise, are digitization farming and linking it to social media. The media, ICT and social media can all be used to help better agriculture’s image across a broad audience and allow for sharing of information and experiences between young people and young farmers. We will also continue engaging other stakeholders on how to help the situation.

Are you investing in Post-harvest Solutions?
Reducing the postharvest losses, especially in developing countries, could be a sustainable solution to increase food availability, reduce pressure on natural resources, eliminate hunger and improve farmers’ livelihoods. However, as Corteva we believe on holistic approach. We cannot solve this problem singly. We are teaming up with other stakeholders like USAID, Governments etc. In Ethiopia we have started village Silos and we will be thinking on Kenya and other countries in the region.