Farmland Stewardship: Growing Toward the Future
Farmland Stewardship Survey Objectives
Ground our understanding of perceptions of stewardship Examine consumer and grower perceptions about stewardship Identify knowledge gaps between growers and consumers
Method Padilla Speer Beardsley designed and conducted survey Questionnaire included six closed-ended questions Consumer sample size was 400 Grower sample size was 116
Discuss definition and provide examples of stewardship
What is Stewardship to BASF?
Stewardship is a term that reflects our commitment to ensuring agricultural sustainability by managing crop protection products in an ethical and responsible way, from discovery and development, right
through distribution, use recycling, and final disposal.
Benefits of Stewardship For consumers, it means the
reassurance of eating affordable, healthy, and quality-assured food
For growers, it is about optimizing yields, while developing and implementing cost-effective and sustainable farming practices
For everyone, it helps to address perceptions about the impact of crop protection products on topics like food safety and water quality
Farmland Stewardship Survey
Farmland stewardship is better than the past and the outlook in the future is positive
Growers have a more positive view on stewardship Growers place a higher importance on efficacy of crop inputs
Other important criteria are cost and impact on the environment Consumers place a higher importance on efficacy and environmental
impact of crop inputs Gap in perceptions between growers and consumers regarding
production systems
Survey Highlights
Stewardship Today Compared to Ten Years Ago
Both consumers and growers trend positive; gap in perception exists
Growing Toward the Future
Consumers (N = 400)
Growers (N = 116)
47.6% 22.4%29.9%
76.7% 6.9%16.4%
Better WorseAbout the same
59.0% 16.8%24.3%
72.2% 7.8%20.0%
Growing Toward the FutureStewardship Today Compared to 10 Years From Now
Both consumers and growers trend positive; gap in perception exists
Better WorseAbout the same
Consumers (N = 400)
Growers (N = 116)
Farmland Stewardship
Growers invest in stewardship through technology and innovation Crop protection companies build stewardship through product
development and research How information frames consumer perceptions BASF looks to the future of stewardship Panel discussion and Q&A
Today’s Agenda
Growers investing in stewardship: Criteria for choosing crop inputs
Perceptions Around Crop Inputs
Consumer survey question: When a farmer buys a crop input (such as a pesticide or fertilizer), How important should … be to the farmer? Grower survey question: When you buy a crop input or pesticide, how important is … ?[1-to-6 scale, where 1 = “extremely unimportant and 6 = “extremely important.”]
Between-groups t-tests results indicate significant differences between consumers and growers: * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001
1 2 3 4 5 6Extremely
UnimportantExtremely Important
Effectiveness
Environmental Impact
Growers rate attributes when making their crop input decisions
Cost
Consumers rate attributes for grower crop input decisions
Effectiveness
Environmental Impact
Cost
Perceptions Around Crop Inputs
Consumer survey question: When a farmer buys a crop input (such as a pesticide or fertilizer), How important should … be to the farmer? Grower survey question: When you buy a crop input or pesticide, how important is … ?[1-to-6 scale, where 1 = “extremely unimportant and 6 = “extremely important.”]
Between-groups t-tests results indicate significant differences between consumers and growers: * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001
1 2 3 4 5 6Extremely
UnimportantExtremely Important
Gap in grower and consumer perceptions of environmental impact
Growers
Consumers
Input Selection
Consumer survey question: When a farmer buys a crop input (such as a pesticide or fertilizer), How important should … be to the farmer? Grower survey question: When you buy a crop input or pesticide, how important is … ?[1-to-6 scale, where 1 = “extremely unimportant and 6 = “extremely important.”]
Between-groups t-tests results indicate significant differences between consumers and growers: * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001
1 2 3 4 5 6Extremely
UnimportantExtremely Important
Environmental and land stewardship inherent in growers’ daily practices
Overview and Opportunities
Improve dialogue between ag industry, growers and consumers Examples of stewardship:
Headline® fungicide eco-efficiency analysis
Container recycling Global stewardship
Packaging research and development
Opportunities
Developers building stewardship: From molecule to market and beyond
Effectiveness
Perceptions of Product Development Priorities
GrowersEnvironmental impact
Human health and safety
Environmental impact
Human health and safety
EffectivenessConsumers
Survey question: When thinking about the development of new crop inputs or pesticides, How important to developers is the … ?[1-to-6 scale, where 1 = “extremely unimportant and 6 = “extremely important.”]
Between-groups t-tests results indicate significant differences between consumers and growers: * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001
1 2 3 4 5 6Extremely
UnimportantExtremely Important
Stewardship in Development
Pre-launch
The Reality
Development and registration
Test environmental and human safety
Decision for development
Identify compounds and test efficacy
1 year 2 years 4-7 years
Internal Compound Development Process
Post-Launch Stewardship
Proactive stewardship management Role of every BASF employee
Field sales Technical services Regulatory
Stewardship programs to facilitate sustainability Headline® fungicide
The Reality
From Molecule to Market
Educate growers and consumers on how BASF selects products for development
Communicate post-launch stewardship practices
Opportunities
Consumers recognizing stewardship: Perceptions of Safety
The Challenge
Feed the world . . . with food that is safe and affordable, while using sustainable practices
Population
+ +Threat
of Pests =Demand for
crop protection
Land
Vitamin E supplement
Perceptions of Product Development Priorities
GrowersConventionally grown food
Organically grown food
Consumers
Survey question: When thinking about the development of new crop inputs or pesticides, How important to developers is the … ?[1-to-6 scale, where 1 = “extremely unimportant and 6 = “extremely important.”]
Between-groups t-tests results indicate significant differences between consumers and growers: * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001
1 2 3 4 5 6Extremely
UnimportantExtremely Important
Aspirin
Diet Soda
Diet Soda
Aspirin
Conventionally grown foodVitamin E supplement
Organically grown food
Perceptions of Safety
There is little evidence that organic products are significantly more or less safe or beneficial than those conventionally produced.
Dangour et al. 2009; Am J Clin Nutr
Voluntary vs. imposed Under an individual’s control
vs. controlled by other Natural vs. manmade sources
Public Perception
Risk Perception
Risk Considerations
How do we quantify potential health risks? What is our level of exposure? People are different…how do we address
susceptibility? What do public health indicators tell us?
Factors to Consider
Checks and Balances Risk analysis
Communication
Risk management
Opportunities Crop protection in sustainable
agriculture
Education and information
Informed decisions
Credible sources
Industry growing toward the future: Taking the next steps
Understanding process Adopting new technology and innovations Investing in research and development Facilitating dialogue
Growing Toward the Future
The BASF Principles & Promise
Protect human health and the environment by developing innovative products, technologies and services
Promote and support the responsible use of our crop protection products, technologies, and services
Support crop protection products as part of sustainable agriculture worldwide
BASF is committed to sustainable agriculture development with the highest standards in stewardship
Principles
Promise
David Hula and family Virginia corn grower Family farm for 300+ years NCGA yield contest winner Legacy of stewardship Many growers practicing
stewardship
Elevating Agricultural Stewards
Panel Discussionand Q&A