Chemistry for Tomorrow's World 2012: Using Chemistry to Improve Agricultural Productivity

6 pm, 26 September 2012
Chemistry Centre, Burlington House, London

Introduction

Keynote speaker: John Clough, Syngenta Fellow   

The global population has recently reached 7 billion and is expected to increase by more than 20% by 2030. The need for sustainably increasing agricultural production is therefore greater than ever. This event will discuss how chemical sciences play a fundamental role in improving agricultural productivity.

Azoxystrobin is the world's leading agricultural fungicide. It is a fully synthetic compound, whose invention was inspired by the structure and activity of the naturally-occurring fungicide strobilurin A. Today it is used worldwide to control fungi growing on over 120 types of crop, improving plant health, raising quality and increasing yield. It is a good example of chemistry's contribution to the agriculture industry and food production.

The success of the project highlights the crucial importance of chemistry in meeting grand challenges such as global food security. Our keynote speaker Dr John Clough led the team of chemists at Syngenta that invented azoxystrobin. He will discuss the key role that synthetic organic chemistry played in creating an effective and safe fungicide.