SIBOL marks industry first as sole corporate participant in gov't. soil health partnership

Syngenta Philippines was privileged to present SIBOL, our soil health program, at the Philippine Soil Partnership (PSP) Action Area meeting that was organized by the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) last May 2024.

The event featured interactive, intensive, and insightful discussions about how sustainable soil management is currently practiced among different stakeholders, such as allied/relevant government units, the academe, civil society/non-government organizations, and the private sector, of which Syngenta Philippines (represented by Rey Valiente, Sandy Castro and Rachel Peña) was the only participant. Each sector was allowed to present its previous and current initiatives on sustainable soil/land management.

Rey Valiente gave an overview of SIBOL activities in the Alfonso Lista, Ifugao model farm: how it started, the grower training events, and its current status. They were keen to note our program metrics (our soil testing methods and measuring soil loss), and were particularly pleased to hear about grower training, noting that such an initiative can be a good corporate social responsibility (CSR) project for other corporate entities to take on. Rachel Pena then explained to BSWM that for Syngenta, soil health is more than just a CSR project; rather, it is one of our global sustainability priorities, and sustainability is embedded in Syngenta’s DNA as it is a consideration in everything that we do.

After the presentation, the participants collaborated in multi-sectoral mini-workshops to craft the next steps. For Syngenta Philippines, this led to an invitation to explore a more structured partnership with BSWM, an outcome that will surely enhance the SIBOL program.