BASF Interview Part 1: Producing More with Less a Key Sustainability Concern
BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division’s senior vice-president of global marketing, Marko Grozdanovic, spoke to Crop Science Market Reporting’s (CSMR) Amritesh Singh Malhan and Robert Birkett about agriculture’s sustainability challenges and the company’s contribution to tackling them.
CSMR: What is the most imperative sustainability concern for agriculture in the next 10 years?
Marko Grozdanovic (MG): We believe the most imperative sustainability concern for agriculture is the need to increase agricultural production by 50% over the next 20-30 years while reducing the environmental impact of farming. This dual goal is critical to meeting the demands of a growing global population, limited arable land, and the increasing pressures of climate change. Every minute, some 23 ha of arable land are lost to drought and desertification. In this context, productivity and emissions reductions are two sides of the same coin.
Farmers are encouraged to adopt climate-smart methods and embrace new technologies that optimize yields, ensure food security, and minimize environmental impacts.
CSMR: What major hurdles limit the expansion of sustainable agriculture?
MG: One of the biggest hurdles is the complexity and diversity of farming systems across regions. The solutions need regional adaptation. What works in one country or crop system may not work in another, making it difficult to scale approaches globally.
In addition, farmers often face significant resource constraints. Transitioning to more sustainable practises demands time, openness to new methods, and financial investment. Measuring and managing the change is another challenge – this is only possible with digital farming solutions but comes with complexity: the data and reporting demands of many certification programs can overwhelm farmers and value chain partners. There is a clear need for simpler methodologies and more consistent, transparent verification frameworks.
Regulation plays a critical role, too — as a catalyst and, at times, a constraint. Fragmented, overly complex, or rapidly changing regulatory landscapes can create uncertainty and slow adoption. Harmonized standards and supportive frameworks are essential to enable farmers make long-term, confident decisions on sustainability.
Through our Global Carbon Farming Program, we are committed to addressing these barriers, simplifying processes, reducing complexity, and making sustainable agriculture more accessible and practical. By combining robust data with a comprehensive portfolio of products and digital tools, we aim to provide stakeholders with credible, measurable proof of environmental impact, while keeping processes straightforward, farmer-friendly and effective.
Finally, meaningful progress in sustainable agriculture relies on stronger collaboration across the value chain. Sustainable transformation can't happen in silos. It requires aligned action from the industry, scientists, policymakers and farmers. And it requires acceptance from society that this is a long-term journey.
CSMR: What will be the most impactful technology to advance sustainable agriculture in the coming years?
MG: Sustainable agriculture is complex and compelling. There is no one-size-fits-all solution that works everywhere — what’s effective depends on the unique conditions of each region, crop and farm.
At BASF, we focus on connecting our solutions — biological and chemical crop protection, high-performing seeds, and digital farming tools such as [digital platform] xarvio — to create added value across the entire system, as well as business models such as carbon farming. Only by combining these technologies can we meaningfully reduce emissions, improve resource efficiency, and build a more sustainable agriculture.
Our focus goes beyond delivering products — we work side by side with farmers to drive measurable outcomes: greater input efficiency, optimized yields, healthier soils, and reduced emissions. Supporting this transformation is key and reflects our core mission: we do everything in our power to build a sustainable agriculture by connecting innovation, customers and society.
Our R&D pipeline, covering seeds, crop protection, and digital farming solutions, has a projected peak sales potential of over €7.5 billion ($8.5 billion at the current rate).
CSMR: What are BASF’s key sustainability targets and measurement metrics, and how do you plan to achieve them?
MG: We address major concerns with measurable targets in our sustainability commitments set forth in 2020. These include reducing CO2 emissions per ton of crop by 30% by 2030, annually increasing sales share of solutions with substantial sustainability contribution by 7%, bringing digital technologies to more than 400 million ha of farmland, and ensuring the safe use of BASF’s products with the right stewardship. The targets address critical points in agriculture, but we are working on an expansion of the target frame to holistically address the challenges of sustainability.
Beyond environmental goals, we are engaged in social initiatives. For example, in partnership with the [Latin American] organization, Solidaridad, we support smallholder farmers in Brazil to improve livelihoods and promote biodiversity conservation. In India, through our “Healthy Soils, Prosperous Farmers” project, we aim to strengthen the livelihoods of smallholder farmers by providing training and support for sustainable agricultural practices and climate resilience. We engage more than 8,000 farmers across four Indian states.
Innovation is central to our strategy for driving sustainable agriculture. Our R&D pipeline is designed to enhance productivity while lowering environmental impacts, enabling us to continuously shift our portfolio towards more sustainable solutions.
CSMR: What has determined BASF’s 30% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions goal level? Does BASF intend to extend it after 2030, or is the 30% seen as the critical benchmark?
MG: We have set the 30% reduction goal on GHG emissions, focusing on five key crops: wheat, soybeans, rice, canola and corn. This target reflects our commitment to climate-smart agriculture and was set to be ambitious and impactful. Achieving a 30% reduction demands significant innovation and effort, but we believe it's essential for driving meaningful progress in agricultural sustainability.
Initial trials in Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Canada, and the US have already shown promising results. Practise changes, improved fertilization management, and high-performing seeds have demonstrated a measurable reduction in GHG intensity, particularly in canola, corn, wheat and rice, the latter of which is having a strong effect on methane emission reductions.
Reaching this target requires more than just new techniques, it demands a systemic shift. This includes integrating enabling technologies and products, always tailored to local conditions and farming systems.
The decarbonization of agriculture remains a long-term commitment, not only for BASF but for the entire agricultural value chain. Our 2030 goal is a milestone, not an endpoint. We are committed to continuing this journey well beyond 2030, working collaboratively to create a more sustainable food system.
CSMR: Your report highlights wide differences in results globally. How and why do geographies differ in what can be achieved?
MG: This report shares the first results [from 2024] from our Global Carbon Field Trial Program, of our progress and challenges in identifying climate-smart farming practises that are effective for different crops, farming regions and production systems. In many cases, we had achieved a 30% reduction in GHG emissions compared with standard farming practises, by deploying the right combinations of technologies, products and interventions for the type of crop, regional farming practises and the relevant climate and environment.
Agricultural systems are complex and context-specific, so what works well in one region may not be effective in another. This mainly comes down to differences in climate, soil types, technology access, and regional farming practises. For instance, some regions face more variable weather patterns, which can influence how pests and diseases are managed. In others, soil fertility determines the need for nutrient inputs, which in turn affects emissions. Cultural attitudes towards change, varying geography regulations, and the availability of essential farming equipment also vary and shape adoption potential. That’s why our approach is focused on continuously testing and refining strategies to determine what delivers the best outcomes for each of our target crops.
Farmers need solutions that are proven to work in their specific context, environmentally as well as economically. It’s our responsibility to ensure that the practises that we promote are not only sustainable but also feasible and effective in the field. That’s what drives our R&D and sustainability efforts.
CSMR: What measures can potentially overcome regional difficulties?
MG: Firstly, we need to understand each regional challenge, talk to and listen to many people. Farming is one of the most complex, adaptive, and risk-prone professions, and it plays a vital role in ensuring food security and the stability of society. So, learning from farmers is the first way to understand the challenges before trying to overcome them.
Second, we must validate solutions through research. As a science-based company, we believe in testing first, recommending later. It’s the only way to ensure that practises are effective and practical for farmers in real-world conditions.
Additionally, strong collaboration is key. Working with regional governments, research institutions, and supply chain partners allows us to align on incentives, data-sharing and regulatory frameworks that support the adoption of sustainable agricultural practises.
CSMR: There are also widely differing results by crop. What causes these divergences, and which crops are innately more challenging for sustainability?
MG: The differences in results by crop are quite pronounced, and several factors contribute to that. Each crop has unique biological characteristics, nutrient requirements, and sensitivities to climate and soil conditions. These traits influence how responsive a crop is to climate-smart interventions such as optimized fertilizer use, reduced tillage or cover cropping.
For example, crops such as soybeans often align well with sustainable practises that lower emissions and improve soil health. This is partly because soybeans require less nitrogen fertilizer and typically have a shorter growing cycle.
Others, such as rice and corn, tend to be more challenging from a sustainability standpoint. This is because for example, rice, typically grown in paddies, is a significant source of methane emissions due to continuous water coverage. This makes it inherently more challenging to decarbonize without adopting alternative water management practises. Methane is a potent GHG, so reductions with this crop will go a long way to decarbonizing the agricultural sector.
Corn and wheat are also resource-intensive, especially in terms of nitrogen fertilizers. Their application inherently leads to some unintended nitrous oxide emissions, which have a very high GHG warming potential. Improving nutrient uptake efficiency in these crops offers a key opportunity to reduce emissions without compromising yields, while minimizing unintended emissions.
CSMR: How willing have farmers been globally to adopt sustainable technologies and frameworks?
MG: Overall, we’ve seen a growing willingness among farmers globally to adopt sustainable technologies and frameworks, especially when the benefits are clear, environmentally and economically. Farmers are deeply aware of the changing climate and its direct impact on yields, soil health and resource availability, so there’s a strong motivation to adapt.