Biological solutions for sustainable agriculture: how agri-food stakeholders can efficiently scale, accelerate and unlock innovation

On 4th June, IF hosted a webinar in partnership with Bayer Crop Science.  In recent years, the agricultural industry has witnessed a significant shift towards sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. Within this context, biologics – derived from natural resources such as microbes, plants, pheromones and other sources – are emerging as crucial agricultural tools in this transformation.  Biological solutions have the opportunity to offer benefits for crop protection, soil health improvement, and regenerative farming practices. However, the ongoing discourse surrounding biologicals in agriculture contains uncertainties and misconceptions that warrant thorough exploration and discussion.  Taking a myth-busting approach to dissect this prevailing discourse, our panel discussed:   What are the existing criticisms and hesitancies towards biologicals – and are these useful?   The role of biological crop protection in modern agriculture, with concrete examples of potential solutions.   How collaborative partnerships and initiatives within the food and ag industry can accelerate the commercialisation of the next generation of biological solutions  The current regulatory barriers for scale, and the outlook for the development of an enabling legal landscape  We heard insights from: Benoit Hartmann, Head of Biologicals, Bayer Crop Science Christophe Breitenstroeter, Head of Crop Strategy, Bayer Crop Science Philippe Guerret, CEO, M2i Group Eirini-Christina Spanouli, Farmer The discussion was moderated by Toby Webb, founder, Innovation Forum.   This is the third webinar (following part one and part two) in the 'Focus on Farmers' webinar series hosted in partnership with Bayer Crop Science.