Pledge commitment to achieve UN SDG Zero Hunger by 2030
includes the company's initiatives supporting smallholder farmers,
rural women and youth, and advancements in climate-smart
technologies and digital tools for farmers in Asia, Africa
and Latin America
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 8, 2023
/PRNewswire/ --
FMC Corporation (NYSE: FMC), a leading global agricultural
sciences company, today announced a $30.5
million commitment to the Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge.
The Pledge, which emerged from the UN Food Systems Summit Action
Track 1, is a call for companies to align their business
initiatives and investments with a global movement to end hunger by
2030. FMC's commitment includes the company's ongoing efforts to
improve the productivity and incomes of smallholder farmers,
provide training and development opportunities for rural women and
youth, and advance digital and precision technologies for farmers
across Asia, Africa and Latin
America.
"We are increasingly concerned by the growing number of people
around the world facing acute food insecurity and believe companies
like FMC have an obligation to use our resources and expertise to
develop real solutions to the hunger crisis," says Julie DiNatale, vice president and chief
sustainability officer. "FMC's commitment to the Zero Hunger
Private Sector Pledge further aligns our investments with
continuous efforts to support farmers, secure the future of food
and achieve the goal of Zero Hunger by 2030."
Key Elements of FMC's Pledge
A substantial part of FMC's commitment is in precision
agriculture technology to help farmers adapt to increasingly
unpredictable growing conditions, including changes in weather
patterns that bring new and evolving pest pressures. Through its
pledge, FMC will invest in launching its Arc™ farm intelligence
platform on farms across Cameroon,
Burkina Faso, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Philippines, Colombia and Mexico through 2030. Arc™ farm
intelligence provides farmers real-time data and insights
about the scope and scale of pest pressure on their crops, allowing
them to proactively treat pest outbreaks before they lead to
widespread crop damage. The platform and all necessary field
monitoring equipment are provided at no cost to the farmer, which
is part of FMC's commitment to ensuring smallholder and
historically underserved farmers have access to advanced solutions
that improve their productivity and resilience.
Smallholder farmers are at the center of FMC's commitment to the
Pledge. They are a vital part of the food production system
globally and an increasingly important farmer segment in
Asia Pacific, contributing to
economic stability and food security within the region. FMC will
invest part of its overall commitment in the company's Sustainable,
Transformational Initiative toward Development (STRIDE) program, a
unique initiative launched in India, Pakistan and the
Philippines to increase smallholder farmer access to
innovative crop protection technologies and extension services to
improve their yields, grow their incomes and enhance their quality
of life. The program, which centers on technology,
knowledge-building and community engagement, will directly impact
more than 175,000 smallholder farmers across the region within a
three-year period.
FMC's remaining commitment includes investments in additional
partnerships and programs, including a development initiative in
Kenya that will train young people
to provide extension services to smallholder farmers in the region.
Partnering with G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology,
FMC is training rural women in India in beekeeping as a sustainable source of
income. And in Brazil, FMC's
partnership with Traive, a fintech startup company, is helping
small- to medium-sized farmers access credit to purchase vital crop
inputs.
"We are not going to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030 by doing things
the way we've always done them," continues DiNatale. "Innovation is
essential. Involvement in this global movement creates new avenues
for growth and innovation through opportunities to collaborate on
groundbreaking solutions that transform the way food is
produced."
About FMC
FMC Corporation is a global agricultural
sciences company dedicated to helping growers produce food, feed,
fiber and fuel for an expanding world population while adapting to
a changing environment. FMC's innovative crop protection solutions
– including biologicals, crop nutrition, digital and precision
agriculture – enable growers, crop advisers and turf and pest
management professionals to address their toughest challenges
economically while protecting the environment. With approximately
6,600 employees at more than 100 sites worldwide, FMC is committed
to discovering new herbicide, insecticide and fungicide active
ingredients, product formulations and pioneering technologies that
are consistently better for the planet. Visit fmc.com to learn more
and follow us on LinkedIn®.
Statement under the Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release
contains statements that are "forward-looking" and provide
other than historical information. FMC has identified
forward-looking statements by such words or phrases as "will likely
result," "is confident that," "expect," "expects," "should,"
"could," "may," "will continue to," "believe," "believes,"
"anticipates," "targets" "intends" or similar expressions
identifying "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including the
negative of those words and phrases. Such forward-looking
statements, which are based on management's current views and
assumptions regarding future events, future business conditions and
the outlook for the company based on currently available
information. These statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be
materially different from any results, levels of activity,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by any
forward-looking statement. These factors include, among other
things, the risk factors and other cautionary statements included
within FMC's 2022 Form 10-K filed with the SEC as well as other SEC
filings and public communications. FMC cautions readers not to
place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which
speak only as of the date made. Forward-looking statements are
qualified in their entirety by the above cautionary statement. FMC
undertakes no obligation, and specifically disclaims any duty, to
update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events
or circumstances arising after the date on which they were made,
except as otherwise required by law.
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