8 Forces Defining the Next Generation of Winners in Crop ProtectionAs artificial intelligence use increases, the global playing field for crop protection formulators and manufacturers will be flattened. “As innovation becomes both faster, more multidisciplinary and delivery models more capital intensive, collaboration not competition, will increasingly define advantage.” This convergence is blending chemistry, biologicals, digital agriculture, AI and precision application into integrated crop solutions and this convergence will continue to gather pace. Strategic implication will be that competitive advantage and increasingly come from orchestrating partnerships across the crop protection ecosystem rather than relying solely on proprietary products. China has a larger research workforce, invests more in applied chemistry, has faster development cycles and benefits from lower discovery costs.