Every day our population is increasing by 200,000 people. The increasing strain we are placing on land, water and energy to grow food and support our growing population is unprecedented. Our future depends on finding new and sustainable solutions to these challenges.

A joint study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Purdue University shows that 58,000 agriculture jobs per year will need to be filled in the future, but only 35,000 related college graduates/per year are expected. “An educated workforce leads to innovation,” said Syngenta Global Seeds Regulatory & Stewardship Head Lisa Zannoni, “but statistics show that we will not have the educated workforce that we need.”

The future workforce was a focus of discussion last year during the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) meeting. Representatives from government, academia, trade associations, the agriculture industry and more gathered together to discuss the challenges facing the agriculture industry.

During the “Raising the Profile of Agriculture” session, several key themes emerged:

• Identifying workforce development strategies to meet the projected shortfall in trained scientists and other agriculture professionals
• Getting students interested in agriculture and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)
• Attracting women and minorities to agriculture-focused careers
• Developing the best talent for the agriculture industry
• Fostering collaborations and raising the profile of the agriculture industry

“Getting students interested in agriculture is a common theme in our sector,” continued Lisa. “I was encouraged that this is a priority across the industry.”

To further the cause, Lisa started the Syngenta Summer Fellowship Program to promote professional development and collaboration between agriculture industry experts and teachers. Launched in 2013 in collaboration with North Carolina New Schools/Breakthrough Learning, the program is now heading into its fourth year. “I was pleasantly surprised to see one of our past Syngenta Summer Fellowship Program participants at the OSTP meeting showcasing his students’ agriculture biotech project,” noted Lisa.

Advanced high school teachers from rural counties across North Carolina are among the eligible participants of the two-week Syngenta Summer Fellowship Program. Participants get to observe firsthand what it’s like to work at Syngenta, what qualities the company looks for in its employees, and what tools teachers need to help prepare their students for future jobs in the agriculture industry. In addition to developing lesson plans to use in their classrooms, program participants also meet with Syngenta scientists while visiting and touring Syngenta sites in Research Triangle Park, N.C., and Stanton, Minn. To help gain a better understanding of the policies and daily issues facing the agriculture industry, participants also are able to meet with members of Syngenta’s Corporate Affairs team in Washington, D.C. After participating in the Syngenta Fellowship, teacher Megan Bennett said of her experience, “Going back to the classroom, I am going to encourage my students to think more, to think more globally than they do right now.”

Watch the 2015 Syngenta Summer Fellowship Video.

Participants are able to see that Syngenta employees have other technical backgrounds that don’t necessarily place them in a research lab. The program helps broaden their definition of the potential in a STEM-based career. “This program is not just for science teachers; it’s a great way to get STEM education more broadly into school programs,” Lisa adds.

Lisa Zannoni is an attorney and a pharmacist who joined Syngenta in August 2005. She leads the company’s Global Seeds Regulatory and Stewardship group and is involved with several major industry initiatives, currently serving as chair of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) Business and Industry Advisory Committee on Biotechnology. Lisa is also a member of the national Board of Women in Agribusiness, and is co-lead of the NC New Schools/Breakthrough Learning Innovation Council for Research Triangle Park (RTP). She previously held an appointment to the USDA Federal Advisory Committee on Biotechnology & 21st Century Agriculture (AC21).