In football, deciding what combination of players will work best together against their opponents is one of the team manager’s most important jobs. In agriculture, deciding on the right combination of inputs to support crops is just as important to farmers.
In the face of challenges including desertification, reduced productivity, and climate change, farmers from smallholders to the largest industrial operations must decide which combinations of pesticides, fungicides, nutrients, and other supplements are best suited to their crops.
That’s why at UPL we’ve teamed up with Natural Plant Protection (NPP), our biosolutions business unit, to offer farmers our exclusive ProNutiva concept. Drawing on UPL and NPP’s expertise, ProNutiva recognises conventional and biological inputs achieve the best results for crops, farmers, and the environment when used in synergy.
Accessed through UPL’s regional representatives and distribution networks, ProNutiva brings together UPL and NPP’s technical and scientific expertise with the on-the-ground knowledge and farmer-focused relationships of our team. We work directly with farmers to develop bespoke input packages based on soil and climactic circumstances, market and buyer demands, and any other challenges and opportunities facing them. What’s more, by combining inputs with tested and proven synergies, ProNutiva ensures that crops receive not just the benefits of the individual inputs, but the additional benefit of the inputs combined in a true ‘1+1=3’ approach. ProNutiva therefore reassures growers that - from sowing to harvesting - their crops are both protected and nurtured to enable them to reach their full potential.
The concept is already active all over the world, and case studies across a range of continents are showing that ProNutiva supported crops are stronger, larger, and more uniform. Thanks to ProNutiva, farmers are seeing higher yields and better marketability – whether to industry off-takers or direct to consumers – improving their profitability and economic sustainability. And by doing this while simultaneously nurturing crop and soil health, ProNutiva is the most sustainable approach for farmers, consumers and our planet.
For example, in Bergvill, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa two different field tests saw potatoes grown using a ProNutiva package tailored for the climate, soil, farmer needs, and market requirements generate higher yields, better marketability, and greater profits for farmers. Compared to potatoes grown with a standard program, the ProNutiva-grown potatoes saw 37.4% increase in yields per hectare and a 383% reduction in unmarketable tubers, leading to a 47% increase in farmer profitability.
Meanwhile in Europe, a ProNutiva trial on table grape crops in Greece demonstrated the yield, profitability, and environmental advantages of using ProNutiva with the mix of inputs leaving no residue at no extra cost, to the benefit of consumers, the environment and farmers who saw a 15% increase in income. And across the ocean in Brazil, a trial with soybeans saw better developed roots improve crop growth and water efficiency, more flowers benefit pollinator insects, and fuller grains with more protein improve marketability and offering more to consumers. Compared to soybeans grown with a standard program, the ProNutiva-grown soybeans saw a 13% increase in yields and a 10% increase in farmer profitability, while also supporting the environment.
ProNutiva’s unification of conventional and biological solutions also exemplifies the strength of our OpenAg approach to work with a range of stakeholders - farming communities, cutting-edge researchers, and partners inside and outside of the ag-industry - to deliver results that no single actor could achieve on their own. And by collaborating to make farming more sustainable around the world, we’re reimagining sustainability to harness agriculture as a climate-positive force.
Our OpenAg approach is also at the heart of our teaming up with FIFA as a regional sponsor for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. We’re on a mission to use the power of football to showcase to the world the positive contribution agriculture can make to meet society’s food needs today, without sacrificing the environment of tomorrow. This collaboration and combination of different tools and approaches in support of One Goal in many ways mirrors that of ProNutiva - bringing together different solutions and inputs working together towards a single objective.