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FONTAGRO, IICA, EU, IDB, FAO, and AGRO INNOVA organized the first Pan-American Bio-inputs Forum in Panama to discuss the perspectives and opportunities of bio-inputs as a strategic technology for the transformation of agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean
Panama, May 26, 2023. The first Pan-American Forum on Bio-inputs: Perspectives and Opportunities was held in Panama with the aim of generating a space for international discussion where different participants met to strengthen multilateralism and integrative regional cooperation to debate the challenges and opportunities presented by this more sustainable and economic technological alternative for agrifood systems. The meeting was organized by FONTAGRO, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Adapted Agroforestry Systems for the Central American Dry Corridor project (AGRO INNOVA, financed by the European Union).
The use of bio-inputs in agriculture has gained great importance in recent years due to their ability to improve agrifood system productivity and sustainability. In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), agriculture has a crucial role in the Region’s economy and in the well-being of the population. However, farmers face challenges including soil degradation, biodiversity decrease, and the exposure to pests and diseases. In this context of climate change, the problems linked to extreme environmental conditions such as high temperatures and alterations in rainfall patterns—which cause stress situations to crops and aggravate pest and disease problems—are accentuated.
Despite the considerable benefits of using bio-inputs in LAC agriculture, their use is limited due to several factors, including farmers’ lack of knowledge and training on the proper usage of these products. Moreover, access to bio-inputs is restricted and their cost can be high. There also exists a lack of regulation and quality standards for bio-inputs in the region, which can cause uncertainty among farmers about the effectiveness of these products.
The opening of the forum was attended by Arnulfo Gutiérrez, General Director of the Institute for Agricultural Innovation of Panama and FONTAGRO’s President; Alexis Pineda, Deputy Minister of Agricultural Development of Panama; Manuel Otero, IICA’s General Director; Adolfo Campos, Head of the Political and Press Section of the EU Embassy in Panama; Germán Zappani, COO of the IDB Office in this country; Adoniram Sánchez, Subregional Coordinator of FAO; and Gerardo Escudero, IICA’s Representative in Panama.
“Bio-inputs are in constant growth, and this is so in response to the high cost of agrochemicals and their impact on public health, environment, climate, and safety requirements that countries are imposing on trade,” said Vice Minister Pineda.
The inaugural lecture was delivered by Mark Trimmer, Co-founder, and Managing Partner of Dunham Trimmer—a company that specializes in the bio-input market—, who explained that these products are one of the fastest growing pathways in bioeconomy, in which Latin America and the Caribbean is expected to have a great international role.
“The use of bio-inputs is growing at annual rates close to 13% in biocontrollers, biostimulants, and biofertilizers, far surpassing the growth rates of traditional agriculture. In biocontrol, which accounts for almost 60% of the total biological inputs market, the region now constitutes 20% of the total market—USD1,231 million—being it the third most important and the one with the highest growth rates,” asserted Trimmer.
He added that by 2029, Latin America and the Caribbean is expected to reach 29% of the total biocontroller market, and to be the region with the largest share in the global market, above the United States and Canada.
Arnulfo Gutiérrez—General Director of the Institute for Agricultural Innovation of Panama and FONTAGRO’s President—, said that “working together on the development of new bio-input technologies as an alternative to more sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural systems is considered a significant need. From the science, technology, and innovation institutions of the region, a really crucial contribution can be made to develop technologies based on local biodiversity; in addition, FONTAGRO’s scientific-technical Innovation networks are a unique tool to achieve progress in this.”
“In our region, factors such as the high price of chemical fertilizers, the interruption of the supply chain, trade tariffs, and the need for agrifood systems with a lower environmental impact have driven the demand and use of bio-inputs. Furthermore, the one health approach and the need to balance environmental productivity and sustainability place bio-inputs as a strategic alternative,” said Manuel Otero, IICA’s General Director.
Eugenia Saini, FONTAGRO‘s Executive Secretary, added that “from FONTAGRO we advocate collaborative work and with institutional and organizational diversity, because in that way we share strengths that allow us to support Latin America and the Caribbean in a more prosperous and sustainable agriculture. This forum is the successful result of international cooperation to promote a new segment of technologies such as bio-inputs, which increase productivity while reducing the impact on the environment.”
Adolfo Campos, from the EU, warned that the production of bio-inputs supports organic agriculture, which allows the decrease in dependence on external inputs, and contributes to a more sustainable and ecological agriculture.
“During 2022, the sector experienced an escalation in fertilizer costs that affected food prices, which is why the EU seeks to strengthen capacities in bio-input formulation and production, as an alternative to improve the physiological condition of crops and to have a better response to pest attacks,” he added.
The participants in the meeting agreed that the war in Ukraine has been a trigger for the increase in fertilizers price and their shortage in the market, so this forum dialogue gains great relevance in the search for alternatives for the bio-input production.
“As the IDB Group, we are present to participate as co-organizers of this first Pan-American Forum on Bio-inputs, since we understand the growing importance of bio-inputs in Latin America and the Caribbean countries, and the potential they have to offer answers to the great challenges that the agricultural sector faces at an economic, environmental, and commercial level. Support for the development of bio-inputs also contributes to our objectives in terms of promoting food security, one of the most pressing challenges the region faces,” stated Germán Zappani, from the IDB.
Adoniram Sánchez, from FAO, stressed at the meeting that “our objective is to contribute to the construction of agrifood systems that can meet the growing demand for food, without compromising the health of our planet. This forum is an important step on that path, providing specific recommendations based on a detailed analysis of the use and investment potential of bio-inputs in the region.”
The participants of the forum concluded that Latin America and the Caribbean has advantages to promote bio-inputs as a strategic technology for agriculture transformation, but leveraging opportunities requires efforts in the promotion of science, technology, and innovation, in the generation of policies and regulations, and in the promotion of the bio-input market in order to attract investment in long-term production.
About FONTAGRO
FONTAGRO was established in 1998 with the aim of promoting the increase of the agrifood sector competitiveness, ensuring the sustainable management of natural resources and the reduction of poverty in the region. FONTAGRO aims to establish itself as a sustainable financing mechanism for the development of agricultural technology and innovations in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Spain, and to establish a forum for the discussion of priority issues about technological innovation. The member countries are Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Spain, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, and Venezuela. In the last 22 years, 167 regional agricultural innovation platforms have been co-financed for an amount of US$124 million, which has reached 452 institutions and 33 countries worldwide.