A free virtual education platform that offers knowledge on sustainable agriculture is a Syngenta initiative that contributes to the fulfillment of several Sustainable Development Goals.
November 2023
It is a useful tool, we have found solutions to produce in a more sustainable way and it can help us with issues such as certifications to know everything we have to do with soil care, the appropriate use of agrochemicals; It is an alternative to access knowledge in a practical way and within everyone's reach. These are the words of Douglas Recino, manager of the San José el Obrero Cooperative, in Guatemala, one of the first users of ProAgricultor.
Launched in February 2022 as an initiative to facilitate access to knowledge, ProAgricultor is aimed at university students, agricultural technicians, authorities, agricultural extension personnel and farmers of all scales of production. It is an open platform with which we seek to reach a greater number of people interested in agriculture, says Laura Rubio, sustainability and responsible business leader for the Andean region of Syngenta.
The objective of the platform is to generate positive changes in the food production chain and share good practices that conserve and protect the environment and the health and safety of consumers, says Ana Maria Saldarriaga, public affairs & communications manager at Syngenta for the Andean region.
The contents have been developed with different collaborations, for example, GlobalGap, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, CIMMYT, and with Rattan Lal, world food prize winner in 2020 for his contributions to soil health.
The platform was born to meet needs from Mexico to Peru, or North Latin America, however, given its acceptance in other regions, it will be extended to the countries of the Southern Cone. They have 5,200 registered users and 3,900 downloaded certificates, the countries that report the most users are Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia.
Agriculture education and the SDGs
There are several Sustainable Development Goals that this online education initiative contributes to. Teaching about sustainable production encourages and prepares farmers to produce more food with better practices that will allow them to take care of their health and that of their family and preserve natural resources. In this way, we contribute to the end of poverty, zero hunger, health and well-being, responsible production and consumption, the protection of life in terrestrial ecosystems, maintaining clean water and promoting decent work. and economic growth.
One of the purposes of generating and sharing this knowledge is so that farmers can maintain their productive activity over time. Syngenta conducted a global survey of farmers and found that 72% are concerned about climate change and crop failure due to extreme weather. With the knowledge imparted at ProAgricultor, it is sought to provide more information so that agriculture can adapt and be part of the solution to climate change. It is essential to improve practices to avoid soil erosion, runoff to groundwater or promote greater protection of the flora and fauna that inhabit each crop.
There are 7 courses available, each one lasts approximately 40 minutes, with videos, audios, infographics, games, downloadable material, to obtain the certificate it is necessary to take an exam and answer 80% of the questions correctly.
Courses available at: https://proagricultor.com
- Good use and responsible management of crop protection products
- Biodiversity on my farm
- Certifications and agricultural standards
- Soil health
- Integrated Pest Management
- Regenerative agriculture
- Coexistence between biodiversity and agriculture
