Agriculture:
what solutions to help preserve soils ?
January 31st 1 pm CET
Catch & Do
Discussion with Dr. Simon Maechling, Innovation Manager at Bayer Crop Science
Since the 18th century, exponential population growth and the related demand for food have led to the development of agricultural practices that have negative impacts on the environment and people. The use of chemical enhancers, tilling, large-scale exploitations and other high-intensity agricultural practices affect the soil’s fertility and its ability to capture carbon, maintain its biodiversity and prevent water contamination and eutrophication which have repercussions on human health.
During this session with Dr Simon Maechling, Innovation Manager at Bayer Crop Science, we will exchange on the innovation challenges and opportunities and the existing solutions developed by Bayer Crop Science and innovative startups to address the issues discussed above such as carbon sequestration solutions with added value for farmers, how to limit the environmental and health impact of chemicals, and digital solutions to support the protection of biodiversity.
What keeps Simon Maechling up at night ?
According to you what is the main challenge limiting carbon farming ?
what is missing according to you Simon to develop more carbon farming ?
According to you what is the priority for the future of agrochemicals ?
What new modes of action could we think about ? And what is the impact on how farmers work ?
Where are we with the use of technologies such as robotics, drones, cameras, satellite data ? Are these things available to all farmers ? Do they use them or can they afford them ?
What’s the added value of implementing these solutions for the different players along the value chain ?
What’s the impact for you at Bayer Crop Sciences ?
We talked also about changing how crops are planned and their optimization. The existing solutions are within the scope of Precision Agriculture. Simon, could you tell us a bit more about what value Precision Agriculture brings ?
These solutions lead to the generation of a lot of data of different natures. How is the data used and shared ? Are there new business models linked to this data ?
Dr. Simon MAECHLING
Innovation Manager
With >17 years’ experience in R&D, Simon plays a central role in fostering strategic partnerships around the globe and supporting programs of internal and external innovation to accelerate Bayer’s industry leading R&D pipeline.
He is a strong champion for both external and pre-competitive partnering as a driving force for innovation with 14 original research publication in peer reviewed journals and >40 patent applications
Working from the LifeHub Lyon in Lyon, France he is a strong promotor of open innovation and new technologies for agriculture. He is very active in supporting and mentoring startups to grow.
In his spare time he practices Double-bass, Tenor Saxophone and Baritone Saxophone and is active within the amateur music circuit in Lyon and the surrounding Rhone-Alpes region.
About BAYER
Bayer AG is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer’s areas of business include pharmaceuticals; consumer healthcare products, agricultural chemicals, seeds and biotechnology products.