Biopesticide Information > Section 2: Benefits and Barriers to Biopesticide Use
The demand for biopesticides is rising steadily in all parts of the world, according to Pamela Marrone of Marrone Bio Innovations who cites BCC Research Corp. The reason for the rise in demand is because of increased public awareness of environmental issues and the improved quality and performance of modern biopesticides. The general public, not just pesticide users, is quite possibly a driving force behind the rise in demand. The public is concerned about issues such as the potential for pollution and possible health hazards which include worker safety, bird toxicity, air pollution and surface and groundwater contamination. The public, whether right or wrong, perceives these issues to be related to the use of conventional pesticides.
The issues are most acute where the urban/housing segment and agriculture sector meet. The rapid growth of housing into rural areas creates clashes of interest for farmers, environmental groups and residents. For example, the governments in the northern European countries of Denmark, Sweden and The Netherlands have required a 50 percent reduction in on-farm chemical pesticide use. Many countries pay farmers large subsidies to farm organically and sustainable and organic farming are codified into the EU Common Agricultural Policy. In early 2009, the European Union voted to phase out more than 200 chemical pesticides. Ontario has banned the use of chemicals for "cosmetic" purposes for landscaping. Many Asian countries have banned classes of toxic chemicals. Most recently, McDonald's Corporation, under pressure from a group of shareholders, agreed to the reduced use of pesticides on potatoes. Wal-Mart, SYSCO Foods, and other food companies also have major sustainability and sustainable agriculture programs that dictate pesticide use rules for suppliers.
In the global pesticide marketplace, biopesticides' market share is projected to reach just over 4 percent (more than $1 billion) by 2010. In contrast, it is anticipated that the market for chemical pesticides will continue to increase only with inflation as transgenic seeds continue to reduce the need for chemical sprays and governments continue to restrict or remove products from the market.
In the United States, producers are becoming more familiar with the science behind biopesticides. Steady advances were made in the 1990s and 2000s in microbial and biochemical research and in formulation technology, so today's biopesticides are much improved over earlier biopesticides. The advantages offered by the use of biopesticides are spurring increased usage in the areas of landscaping, home gardening and farming.
In the sector of production agriculture, the use of biopesticides offers a number of benefits. First and foremost, biopesticides provide a new tool in a grower's resistance management program because a biopesticide can offer an additional mode of action in pest management. Biopesticides not only extend the product life of traditional chemicals, according to industry reports, but they can add flexibility to harvest timing and reentry times. They also can affect plant physiology and morphology in ways that maximize yield, pack out, and often the efficacy of tank mix partners.
When used in Integrated Pest Management systems, biopesticides' efficacy can be equal to or better than conventional products, especially for crops like fruits, vegetables, nuts and flowers.
Biopesticides provide greater margins of safety for applicators, farm workers and rural neighbors and have much shorter field restricted-entry intervals (REIs), which makes it easier for farmers to complete essential agronomic practices on a timely basis and schedule harvest operations.
Biopesticides generally affect only the target pest and closely related species. They pose little or no risk to most non-target organisms including birds, fish, beneficial insects and mammals.
Many of today's biopesticides are biodegradable, resulting in essentially no risk to surface water and groundwater. Biopesticides also generally have low-volatile organic chemicals (VOC) content and can be used to reduce the air pollution caused by high-VOC chemicals (e.g. fumigants in the San Joaquin Valley in California ).
Biopesticides feature complex modes of action. Therefore, they typically are less likely to incur the development of resistance in the target insect pests, plant pathogens and weeds than single-site chemicals. Biopesticides are excellent resistance management tools when used alone or in combination with chemicals as tank mixes and rotations. Most agricultural biopesticides are intended for use in conjunction with traditional chemicals which, in turn, is contributing to the rapid increase in use of biopesticides.
Biopesticides are produced by environmentally friendly and sustainable production processes. Microbial biopesticides are produced by fermentation using readily available biomass (agricultural raw materials) such as soy flour and corn starch. Waste from fermentation processes is often applied back to farms as fertilizer.
Biopesticides can be and many are approved for use in organic farming, the fastest growing segment of the food industry. Approximately 5 percent of all biopesticide use is for organic applications.
Of all types of growers, those with the largest operations tend to be the most avid users of biopesticides. Millions of acres of cropland receive at least one application of biopesticides each year. Growers who incorporate biopesticides into their programs are typically among the more progressive and entrepreneurial growers in their markets. Growers who use biopesticides do so because they see a tangible return on investment. Growers who use biopesticides use them because the products:
- are efficacious
- are effective in managing pesticide resistance
- leave minimal crop residues
- permit harvest flexibility
- maintain beneficial insect and mite populations
- ensure worker safety, and
- promote environmental safety.
Biopesticides are reliable and effective when used properly. It's important to be educated before using them. Biopesticides are just as effective as synthetic products and can be used in mainstream crop production and turf management if used properly. Using biopesticides is different than using "conventional" chemistries and traditional cropping programs. Biopesticides present unique modes of action and agronomic practices that must be fully understood. Biopesticides provide different benefits depending on what product is used, on what crops they are used, and what they are designed to accomplish. So it becomes critical to first understand how a biopesticide product is designed to work in a given cropping program, and then to thoroughly evaluate the product based on the potential benefits.
By combining performance and safety, biopesticides perform efficaciously while providing the flexibility of minimum application restrictions, superior residue and resistance management potential, and human and environmental safety benefits. Despite these advantages, there are significant barriers that impede adoption of biopesticides. These barriers include a competitive market, risk-averse customers, a complex selling channel, perceived lack of efficacy and lack of awareness about the products.
1. Highly competitive, capital intensive marketplace. There are many companies in the pesticide industry, ranging from the multibillion-dollar agrichemical companies to many small-medium biopesticide companies. The plethora of companies and products makes it hard for small biopesticide companies to stand out from the others, to properly conduct field trials and on-farm demonstrations and customer education, and to develop marketing programs.
2. Risk-averse customer. Growers, distributors and pest control advisors (PCAs) have become accustomed to affordable chemicals that generally perform to expectations and believe there is no reason to change. When evaluating a pesticide the questions a user should ask are:
- Does it work as well or better than existing chemical pesticides?
- What does it cost?
- What other benefits are there? Is it safer?
Growers will try a new biopesticide product and compare it with their existing pest management programs in demonstration trials. Conducting demonstrations is the best, if not only way to gain adoption. In addition, University Extension researchers will also test pesticide products and provide their recommendations. Therefore, adoption can be faster as more field trials are conducted.
3. Complex selling channel. In order for a biopesticide company to make a sale, it must go through traditional selling channels, the development of which is complex and costly.
4. Perception of biopesticides. Biopesticides are not always perceived in a positive light. In one industry survey, growers admitted they do not know about biopesticides and perceive the cost/efficacy ratio to be out of balance. While there are many examples of successful, effective biopesticides in use, the overall perception is not consistent with the potential value these products can provide. In one California survey, growers and PCAs indicated that biopesticide companies should place a heavy emphasis on education in order to establish sustainable use of the product. They indicated that the companies should target specific markets, either by crop, pest or disease. In turn, companies should be very clear about the protection and value being provided to the grower. It is important to tell customers how and when to use their biopesticide products.