Social Media Content for Alexander Berkovskiy
LinkedIn content for Alexander Berkovskiy, Regional Director, Asia, Syngenta
Role: Ideate and draft Alexander Berkovskiy’s LinkedIn content
Duration: October 2022 - April 2023
Cadence : 1-3 posts monthly
Note: The below is a selection of my content work for Alexander Berkovskiy, Regional Director, Asia, Syngenta
I have seen firsthand the positive impact that young farmers can have on their communities. That's why I'm incredibly proud of the Syngenta Young Farmers Network program by Syngenta South Korea team that empowers the next generation of farmers to create new possibilities.
SuWon Seo, a participant of the program, is a young farmer who owns Smart Berry Farm – a one-hectare greenhouse that grows strawberries. Her key challenges have been pests and diseases, but SuWon has learned techniques that have helped almost double her yields with regular support from Syngenta experts. Young farmers like SuWon are the future of agriculture not just in South Korea but the rest of Asia Pacific.
By providing farmers with the resources and expertise they need to grow and thrive, we're enabling them to create a better future for themselves, their communities, and the world. I hope SuWon persists in her ambitions to operate the largest strawberry farm in South Korea.
Watch this video to hear from SuWon:
#YouthDay #FutureOfAg
This is the story of Salma - a Bangladeshi farmer who is able to improve her crop yield and profits with the help of a small loan.
In Bangladesh, we collaborate with Bank Asia to offer collateral-free end-to-end financing for farmers. This helps farmers access loans of up to USD$600, empowering them to harvest crops with better quality and sell them at better prices. With a sustainable livelihood, they are then able to invest in quality agricultural inputs that improve their yields and generate even greater returns.
Agricultural solutions are available but are out of reach to many smallholder farmers as they simply cannot afford them. I strongly believe that access to financing is the key to achieving sustainable livelihoods for the farmers in our region. Stories like Salma's inspire us at Syngenta to continue building partnerships and collaborations that work harder for farmers.
#SyngentaforSmallholders #FarmerAtTheCenter
In 2022, the world saw rising food insecurity. The United Nations has reported that we are further away from reaching SDG 2 - Zero Hunger[1]. These uncertainties will persist as climate change continues to plague the agricultural landscape.
There is no one right way to work towards better food security, but I do believe there are three big pieces of the puzzle that we need to get right for 2023, learning from our experience this year:
1. Putting farmers at the center – connecting with them directly to listen to their challenges and tailor solutions to their unique needs. The Centrigo centers we have recently opened in Bangladesh and Indonesia are helping to address these requirements holistically.
2. Using innovation to meet farmers’ evolving needs by bringing technology and smart farming tools closer to them, helping to increase productivity and maximize yields. For example, apps like Syngenta’s Cropwise Grower have enabled farmers to access information such as real-time data for accurate weather predictions and solving pest and disease problems.
3. Forging meaningful partnerships with like-minded organizations to combine strengths in innovation and scale to realize the potential of agriculture together. Working with partners across the region, we have made solutions such as finance, insurance and farming technology more accessible to farmers, and we will continue to bring these collaborations to life for the benefit of farmers.
As we wrap up the year, here’s a big vote of thanks to all our farmers, and everyone who contributes to food production and helps to ensure farmers have a better livelihood! This includes our Syngenta APAC team, who never fail to inspire me with the commitment to stand side by side with farmers.
I wish everyone a peaceful and happy new year with your loved ones!
#syngentaforsmallholders #farmeratthecenter #innovation #partnerships #agriculture
[1] The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World
Soil is where our food journey begins. For decades we have reaped the benefits of our land, with healthy soil providing us with nutritious food. Today, soil management is a key challenge in agricultural productivity as years of farming have stripped fields of vital nutrients.
On #WorldSoilDay, I’d like to share the story of Truong, a Vietnamese coffee farmer who is a member of a program Syngenta runs in partnership with Louis Dreyfus Company, JACOBS DOUWE EGBERTS, and IDH. The program introduces sustainable farming practices to improve soil health, and to date, we have helped 7,000 farmers increase yields and improve income.
Supporting farmers like Truong can go a long way – as someone who has benefitted from the program, he now teaches his community to adopt similar practices for better yields. At Syngenta, we help farmers restore soil health as part of our commitment to building resilient food systems, and we are grateful for the partnerships that bring our ambitions to life.
Vietnam is a country with a rich agricultural heritage, and rice farming is at the heart of it. Last week I had the opportunity to visit Vietnam as part of our team launching our latest #innovation, Plinazolin technology, to help farmers manage resistant pests. This product is a result of 15 years of extensive research and development, selected from more than 10,000 active ingredients through thousands of trials worldwide.
The launch was a massive success, with over 600 farmers and retailers attending the event. The farmers were impressed with the technology, which will protect their yields and make rice production more efficient. It was heartening to see their enthusiasm and excitement for the new product, and we were thrilled to be a part of this process.
Rice farming is a crucial part of Vietnam's economy, and it provides employment for millions of people. Vietnam is the world's fifth-largest rice producer and the second-largest exporter of rice, with over 50% of its agricultural land devoted to rice. The importance of rice farming in Vietnam cannot be overstated, and any improvements in rice production have far-reaching benefits for the country's economy and its people.
I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this event and look forward to seeing the benefits that Plinazolin will bring to the country's agricultural sector.
#SyngentaForSmallholders #Agtech #Foodsecurity