Monsanto Biotechnology Research (Beijing) Co., Ltd.: Devoting to Sustainable Development of Agriculture through ＂Green Village Program＂

Company Profile
Monsanto, founded in 1901 and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, US, is engaged in producing the seeds of crop such as maize, soybean and cotton, and the fruit and vegetable seeds, and helping farmers around the world to make efficient use of water and other important natural resources and get a better harvest. Adhering to the concept of “base in China and serve China for win-win outcome” and relying on its global seed bank and traditional breeding technology, Monsanto is breeding, developing, producing and selling high-yield crop seeds that are suitable for different segments of ecological zone to help China achieve food security strategy.
Challenge
Farmers are the foundation of agriculture and the subject of agriculture and rural economy. However, the lagged construction of rural infrastructure and the lower education background of farmers in rural areas of China have led to their lower living standard and backward production technology. How to improve farmers’ living standard and strengthen the sustainable development of agriculture has become a challenge Monsanto China has to face.
Solution
Monsanto Foundation, as Monsanto’s nonprofit organization, is targeted the improvement of people’s living standard in rural communities. Relying on its technological edges in agricultural production, Monsanto has launched “Green Village Program”, a public welfare project. Since it started in 2008, it has been successfully organized five times to help the residents of rural communities improve their living conditions. Through the improvement of rural infrastructure, agricultural technology support and enhancement of farming skills, Monsanto has improved the living standards of the residents in dozens of rural communities in five provinces of China.
Achievement
Since this program started in 2008, Monsanto has helped the villages in a total of five provinces of China improve their agricultural development. With heavy investment in agricultural technology and training, it has enhanced the farming skills of local farmers. The portable and irrigation water engineering and other infrastructure built for the local people have not only ensured the supply of clean water and eliminated the infectious diseases caused by dirty water source, but also provided the guarantee for irrigation of crop. While contributing to agricultural development and improving farmers’ living standard in China, Monsanto has also established a good social image and provided its partners with useful reference on how to better serve China’s agricultural development and improve farmers’ living standard.
Prospect
In the future, Monsanto will continue to invest more in rural basic education and the basic living needs of rural communities. In addition, it will make further exploration and experiment on how to make more effective use of stakeholder resources, how to expand the range of recipients and how to arouse more attention to three agriculture-related problems.