Rice is a major source of nutrition, income and employment throughout Asia, where roughly 90% of the crop is grown and consumed worldwide. But with growing food security challenges in the region and minimal improvements in yield growth, rice growers struggle to keep pace with demand. In Thailand, rice yields can be considerably lower than elsewhere in the region – for example, up to 50% lower than in China. Growers often lack the training needed to detect and treat pests correctly during the different stages of rice growth, which can lead to the overuse or misuse of pesticides and other inputs.

To overcome this challenge, we’ve established GroMore, a rice protocol that coaches growers during each stage of rice growth with training and education on pest detection and treatment, as well as crop protection safe use. In this way, growers are able to protect their crop throughout its entire life cycle, resulting in healthier plants, less pressure from pests, more efficient use of water and nutrients − providing yield increases of up to 30%.

Khaona Sansadao, a small scale farmer in northern ThailandIn Thailand, our Good Growth Plan reference farm network includes smallholder growers like Khaona Sansadao, a small scale farmer in northern Thailand who grows his rice using our GroMore protocol. As a reference farmer, he tracks how much water, energy and pesticide he uses on his land during the growing seasons and then reports his yields after harvest. Working with agronomic experts from Syngenta, Khaona learned how to use crop inputs safely, in the right dose and at the right time. He also learned how to more efficiently manage other resources, such as water and nutrients. After a year of following the GroMore solution, Khaona’s achieved his largest yield yet, increasing his earnings and enabling him to provide more for his family.

As part of The Good Growth Plan, we’ve committed to make crops more efficient by 20%, without using more land, water or inputs.