Agriculture is essential for food security, economic resilience and the sustainable use of natural resources, particularly because agricultural land is limited. Farmers face increasing pressure from many sides, including from crop pathogens, pests, weeds, climate variability, land use constraints and changing societal expectations.

Pathogens, pests and weeds continue to cause substantial yield and quality losses in major food crops, with implications for food security. Effective management of these challenges is therefore an important component of sustainable agricultural production, helping to safeguard productivity while making efficient use of limited land and natural resources and supporting food system resilience. Savary et al. (2019)1 estimate average wheat yield losses of 21.5% globally, with hotspot-level ranges of 10.1% to 28.1%, even under current crop management practices. These figures even do not fully capture additional risks from severe outbreaks or quality impacts such as mycotoxin contaminations, which can affect both food safety and marketability. Climate change is further expected to intensify these challenges, increasing the importance of effective crop health management (Singh et al., 2023)2.

Building on our mission of “Health for all, Hunger for none,” we consider sustainability to be at the core of our corporate responsibility – and it also safeguards our future growth. Sustainability is therefore an essential component of our corporate strategy, our business activities, our corporate values and the way in which we conduct our business. The following strategic sustainability targets apply as a guideline for the actions of all divisions:

// Creating inclusive growth and added value for society and our investors

// Reducing our ecological footprint

// Embracing responsible business practices along our value chain

We align our own strategic sustainability targets with the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, which apply through to 2030. The global community is lagging behind in many areas, which makes the contribution we can make as a company to achieving these goals all the more important.

At Bayer, we are convinced that we can have a particular impact here, owing to our portfolio, our global reach and our innovative power. In this context, we consciously support those Sustainable Development Goals where there is a pressing need to act and where we can make the greatest impact through our businesses and their sustainability-focused transformation.

Bayer’s strategy in agriculture is to advance science-based innovations that help farmers protect crop yield and quality, strengthen food security and build more resilient agricultural production systems. We develop and provide integrated solutions that include seeds, crop protection, biologicals, digital tools and agronomic expertise to help farmers manage pests, diseases and other production challenges effectively, responsibly and sustainably. In doing so, we aim to support productive agriculture, environmental stewardship and the long-term resilience of food systems.

Bayer aims to promote sustainable development worldwide in accordance with the SDGs, while at the same time focusing on the future and aligning its businesses to grow in line with the sustainability targets. To achieve this, we link the concept of inclusive growth with a reduction in our ecological footprint based on responsible business practices along our entire value chain.

For mre information on our strategy and impact focusing on the SDGs, please see page 6 of our Bayer Impact Report 2025.