Focus on Sustainable Agriculture & the Urgent Need to Reduce Agricultural Carbon Footprint Drive Global Demand for Biopesticides

Concerns raised by the growing carbon footprint of the agriculture industry and the ensuing focus shed on adopting sustainable agricultural practices and eco-friendly farm inputs are poised to drive the global market for Biopesticides to reach US$6.2 billion by 2024.

The importance of agriculture can be put into perspective by the fact that over 45% of the world population is employed in cultivation of crops and livestock. The growing carbon footprint of the agriculture industry is raising concerns against the backdrop of the rising threat of global warming and climate change. Over 1/3rd of global greenhouse gas emissions are precipitated by the global food system right from crop farming, fertilizer use, food manufacture, storage, packaging and transportation. Food production including farming and cultivation accounts for over 83% of global food emissions followed by supply chain transport, wholesale & retail and final delivery transport each accounting for 11%, 4% and 2% respectively. Chemical fertilizer manufacturing activity alone releases over 580 megatonnes of greenhouse-gas emissions. Agricultural emissions are highest in China, Brazil, United States, India, Indonesia, Russian Federation, Democratic Republic of Congo, Argentina, Myanmar, and Pakistan. These countries account for 50% of the world’s agricultural emissions. Curbing agriculture’s carbon footprint is therefore becoming pivotal to addressing climate change issues.

Against this backdrop, governments the world over are pushing for climate smart agriculture practices. Striking the balance between increasing food production to feed the growing population and preserve the environment is becoming increasingly important. Sustainable agriculture is therefore poised to hog the limelight as the future of farming and food production. Few of the benefits of sustainable agriculture to the economy, public health and the environment include preservation of environmental ecosystems; enhances economic stability of farms; better quality of food crops; effective pollution control; improved public health and wellbeing as it eliminates the use of hazardous and toxic pesticides and fertilizers; protects biodiversity; energy savings and reduced costs; lower labor costs; higher farm productivity and profits for farmers; reduced risk of loss of soil health; optimum utilization of water resources and reduced wastages; improved air quality especially in agricultural economies; among others.

The scenario bodes well for “green fertilizers and pesticides” as they represent one of the largest sources of GHG emissions in agriculture, in addition to tillage and other field operations. The resulting emphasis laid on fertilizer management is poised to reduce farmers’ dependence on chemicals and drive opportunities for “biopesticides” which are defined as pesticides manufactured from natural and organic materials and ingredients derived from animals, plants, and microorganisms such as bacteria. Few of the factors driving growth in the market include focus on reversing agricultural land degradation due to soil destruction caused by chemical pesticides; unprecedented rise of organic food & beverages and the ensuing importance of organic farming; growing concerns over pesticide residues on food crops, vegetables & fruits, increased monitoring and control of the use of chemical pesticides and the ensuing search for safer alternatives; growing investments in integrated pest management  practices; rise in post-harvest losses and increased demand for post-harvest biopesticides; and development of novel microorganism species and the ensuing growth of microbial pesticides.

As stated by the new market research report on Biopesticides, The United States represents the largest market worldwide. Europe ranks as the fastest growing market, followed by Asia-Pacific each growing at a CAGR of 16.4% and 15.9% respectively. Food security goals in several countries in the EU are being implemented together with policies that enforce efficient use of agricultural resources. A large portion of carbon mitigation efforts is directed at more efficient utilization of agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, given that chemical fertilizers and pesticides have the greatest impact on carbon footprint of the agriculture industry. While in Europe, stringent carbon sequestration regulation ranks as a key growth driving force, in Asia-Pacific growing population, higher food security and safety concerns, higher burden of pesticide poisoning, rising international safety standards and Maximum Residue Levels (MRL) for agro-product exports remain major factors driving growth. 

Major players in the market include AgBiTech Pty Ltd., Agrauxine SA, AgrichemBio, Andermatt Biocontrol AG, BASF SE, Bayer CropScience AG, BioWorks, Inc., Certis USA LLC, Dow AgroSciences LLC, Environmental Crop Management Limited, FUTURECO BIOSCIENCE S.A., Invivo, Isagro SpA, Koppert B.V., Lallemand Inc., LAM International Corp., Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc., stk bio-ag technologies, Stoller, Syngenta AG and Valent BioSciences Corporation (USA) among others.

The research report titled “Biopesticides – Market Analysis, Trends, and Forecasts” announced by Global Industry Analysts Inc., provides a comprehensive review of market trends, issues, drivers, mergers, acquisitions and other strategic industry activities of global companies.  The report provides market estimates and projections for all major geographic markets such as the U.S., Canada, Japan, Europe (France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Russia and Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Rest of World. The report also provides market estimates and projections by Active Ingredients such as Microbials and Bio-Rationals.

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