Rome, Italy – Biological control agents (BCAs) and biostimulants represent a sound, effective and nature-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides, however they are often disregarded by scientists, government decision-makers and the general public. In this regard, FAO organized an “Open-Ended Workshop on Biological Control Agents and Biostimulants” from September 23–24, 2024. The event gathered 56 participants in presence and 156 online viewers; including leading experts, policymakers and scientists from around the world.

The workshop, funded by the Multilateral Environmental Agreements in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP MEAs 3) programme, was organized in collaboration with FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CAB International) and the International Organization for Biological and Integrated Control (IOBC). The goal was to raise awareness, review global regulatory frameworks and identify both opportunities and challenges in expanding the use of BCAs and biostimulants.

Analyzing facts, knowledge gaps and fears

Biological control entails the use of living organisms for the sustainable management of pests, weeds and diseases. These organisms naturally occur in on- and off-farm settings, provide cost-free pest control and often secure more than a quarter of crop yields. While the conservation or augmentation of locally-available biota constitutes a desirable, safe alternative to pesticides, the deployment of non-native BCAs against invasive pests may pose some ecological risks.

Martin Hill, President of IOBC, talked about the dilemma between safety and enabling innovation. “We need to strike a balance between risk management and the immense benefits BCAs offer in reducing pesticide usage.” he noted.

He also stated, “Biological control fits seamlessly within the One Health concept. We live in a world with nearly 300 million cases of pesticide poisoning every single year, but also where people are skeptical of BCAs because essentially; we are saying, that we’ve got a pest and now we are going to introduce another pest to control the first one. What is important to understand is that modern-day biological control is a mature scientific discipline; lots of thought and care goes into agent selection, pre-release testing and risk assessment. We have long moved beyond the ‘trial-and-error’ approach of the early 1900s; there is a lot of scientific regard before we decide to introduce one single non-native biological control agent into an environment.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the One Health concept is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems. It recognizes that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and interdependent. Biological control is pivotal to safeguarding One Health.

A resounding call to action

As the two-day event progressed, the need for better documentation and communication of the multi-faceted societal benefits of biological control became clear. Paul Mwambu, from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries of Uganda emphasized, “It’s true that biological control agents offer tremendous benefits because they are effective, affordable, safe and environmentally sound. However, there are several factors that hinder their widespread adoption, one of them its lack of product awareness by end users, including farmers. The other key impediment is that many of the regulatory frameworks are not yet well harmonized and even outdated.” He ended highlighting the importance of creating spaces like this workshop, to address and remediate the obstacles.    

The workshop underlined the value of promoting awareness about BCAs and biostimulants, improving regulatory frameworks and fostering partnerships between governments, researchers, and local communities. A strong call to action was made by the participants to promote discussions and resolute actions on this topic in their countries and communities.

Tania Zaviezo, a full-time professor at the Catholic University of Chile and researcher in biological control underlined the possible answers to some farmer’s challenges in adopting BCAs. “The solutions can be categorized in three areas: Awareness, providing tailored training to fill the gaps on knowledge of the farmers. Economic, ways to provide incentives for end users to trial and implement biological control on farm premises. Regulations, we must separate BCAs from pesticides, they are very different. BCAs protect the environment, uphold farmers’ revenues, are key to sustainability and even create new jobs. Governments should devise specific regulation for them.”        

Involving communities and farmers

A final important takeaway from the sessions was the need to engage farmers and local communities more actively in the adoption of biological control methods. KimAnh Tempelman, ACP MEAs 3 Global Project Coordinator, stressed the importance of understanding farmers’ needs. “We need to talk more to farmers and ensure their voices are heard in meetings like this one. By linking up farmers, extension services, researchers and policymakers, we can create sustainable solutions that work on the ground,” she explained. Initiatives such as Farmer Field Schools (FFS), widely used by the ACP MEAs projects, have already started involving communities in testing and applying more sustainable practices like biopesticides, biofertilizers and intercropping. As such, vital momentum is generated for biological control and other forms of non-chemical crop protection.

The discussions at the workshop also fed into the “First session of the Commission’s Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Microorganism and Invertebrate Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture”, that took place from September 25–27, 2024. The outcomes of these events will contribute to shaping global agricultural policies for BCAs and biostimulants, amongst others.

Access the photo gallery from the event here