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Biological Innovations in Agriculture: Top R&D Trends of 2024
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Wednesday, 08 January, 2025, 14 : 00 PM [IST]
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Harshvardhan Bhagchandka
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India, the most populated country, relies greatly on agriculture to sustain its huge population. As per Statista, the agricultural industry contributes around 16 per cent to the total GDP. It not only provides food security but also illustrates the nation's agricultural wealth through diverse crop cultivation. However, the industry also has to combat various challenges like soil deterioration, water shortages and excessive pesticide usage, resulting in lower crop produce and health risks for people.
Addressing these challenges necessitates a shift towards sustainable farming approaches, technological advancement and government initiatives focused on reducing pesticide use. Among these initiatives, biological solutions have emerged as a game changer to mitigate these concerns. Agrarian sector uses beneficial microorganisms to fortify soil health, pest management and increase crop yield. This, in turn, not only lessens the need for synthetic inputs but also enhances biodiversity and assures long-term ecosystem services, essential for resilient agriculture.
In 2024, biological trends have gained traction as they promote agricultural sustainability. innovations are the outcome of research and development (R&D) initiatives that revolve around novel solutions and assess their reliability.
Change in Consumers’ Demand
Today, people are not only cautious about the food they consume but also about the processes involved in preparing it. They are obtaining information about the health concerns caused due to chemical pesticides and fertilisers and therefore, preferring organic food products. As a result, companies are now offering organic alternatives and the government is enforcing stricter regulations on fraudulent organic labelling while increasing customer trust. Furthermore, it has become one of the key reasons behind the expansion of the agricultural biological market worldwide.
Transforming Agriculture with Foliar Sprays
The drive to eliminate toxic chemicals from agricultural practices is driving innovation with foliar sprays emerging as a key trend. These sprays promote rapid nitrogen absorption by plants, exceeding standard soil-applied fertilisers. They also assist plants to overcome problem soils and adapt to a variety of unfavourable situations, including drought, mechanical concerns and pathogens. With these diverse uses, foliar sprays are likely to play a critical role in the growth of the global agri biological market.
Growth of Bionematicides
Bionematicides are a type of biopesticide that manages nematode related concerns in agriculture. As tiny worms, nematodes can damage crops by feeding on plant roots, reducing uptake of nutrients and spreading diseases. Furthermore, several factors contribute to the expected expansion of the bionematicides industry. This includes rising concern about the environmental and health effects of conventional chemical nematicides. These chemical-based treatments usually accumulate in the soil, contaminating water and harming non-target creatures.
Rise in the Biocontrol Market
Biocontrol strategies are one of the greatest trends in the agro biologicals sector. They leverage naturally produced compounds to manage pests and weeds in agriculture. In contrast to chemical pesticides, they are an eco-friendly and sustainable option. One of the key factors behind the increasing use of biocontrol solution is the regulatory limits. Countries globally are enacting stronger laws and phasing out the use of chemical pesticides due to their negative effects on the environment. Consequently, Custom Market Insights has forecasted the global biocontrol market to reach USD 10.6 billion by 2032.
The Dawn of Smart Farming
Climate-smart farming marks the beginning of modern agriculture while enhancing food security and farmers' revenue. It aims to strengthen agricultural resilience and lower greenhouse gas emissions. It is based on employing farming techniques and innovations that best suit the local climate and soil conditions while reducing the environmental effect. Additionally, the development of the latest strategies for reducing carbon emissions on farms is on the rise. Innovations that focus on water utilisation efficiency and nutrient optimisation are becoming novel ways to promote carbon credits, which are another source of revenue for agriculture sector. Thus, with this trend, smart farming can effectively contribute to climate change mitigation efforts.
Overall, 2024 has been a turbulent year, with firms making several strategic choices for the future. People are attempting to shore up their businesses and acquire new technology. The aforementioned biological trends are not just overwhelming from a corporate standpoint, as businesses strive to stand out in a competitive market, but farmers globally are adopting new technology, information and demands. Following these, the global agricultural market is expected to reach USD 27.9 billion by 2028, as per the Research and Markets report. As the biological trends continue to evolve, they promise to secure a viable future for agriculture, ensuring prosperity for farmers and food security for all.
(The author is president at IPL Biologicals)
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