To be able to fight against a great range of pests and diseases that damage different crops, we need to have a wide portfolio of biological products. Recently, new biological products have been coming into the market really quickly. Thus, informing growers how to use those products in a proper way, as well as informing the general public about the benefits of biological control of pests and diseases, is of crucial importance. It will help to speed up the adoption of those biological products as well as increase the market demand for food produced in a more sustainable way with those biological products. Therefore, initiatives such as the “CABI BioProtection Portal”, that put efforts in place to convey precise information to the growers and to the general public is of great importance. The more the growers learn about biological products, the faster they will adopt them in their crops with success. Biological control of pests and diseases is already a reality. Therefore, I believe that support and investment in research, as well as communication tools such as the “CABI BioProtection Portal”, is crucial for the success of biological control and consequently for agriculture in a broader perspective.

I have been using CABI BioProtection portal since I was introduced to it. The portal has all the information that I require for training the farmers which has helped me recruit more farmers into organic farming using products from Safi Organics and biopesticides from Real IPM. Unlike in the past where, I and my farmers struggled to know sources of registered biopesticides, the portal contains only the registered biopesticides, including additional information on application rates for different crops and storage. Through the portal, I have built a network of reliable companies selling different biopesticides which is helping my farmers have a wide range of choices of biopesticides to use in their farms.

The portal has supported my work as an agronomist to a great deal. Unlike before where I sometimes postponed an advice to go and get some reference, I am now able to give exact, detailed and prompt response to the farmer with a pest problem in their farms. Unlike before when we used to google for such information and get very abstract information, with the portal you are assured of comprehensive and up to date information to share with the farmers. The portal has given a boost to my work as I have been able to network with suppliers of the biopesticides and exchange information regularly. My farmers have a wide range of choice of solutions based on what the portal provides. I am also able to refer to the portal whenever I see advertised biopesticides in Facebook and other social media to check if they are registered.

The beauty of the CABI BioProtection Portal is that it is a free, web-based tool that enables users to find information about registered biocontrol and biopesticide products around the world and helps them make the right decisions; or to support their customers/stakeholders to make their decisions based on current and reliable information.

It also helps us as a company provide reliable information on our evolving biologicals portfolio to support our market ambitions focused on grower needs and ensure responsible and sustainable use of our products.

We support the CABI BioProtection Portal because it supports the use of eco-friendly products and promotes soil and plant health, as well as sustainable and regenerative practices. It connects growers with local resources and experts, and it provides factual information to help educate and inform those interested in biological solutions to pest problems in production agriculture.