04 May 2021, UK: CABI’s ground-breaking online bioprotection resource has now been launched and made available for the first time in Canada. The CABI BioProtection Portal, which helps growers and pest management advisors identify, source, and correctly apply biocontrol and biopesticide products for their specific crop-pest problems, is now available in Canada in both French and English.
The CABI Bioprotection Portal was officially launched online, via video conferencing, following a series of presentations from industry stakeholders on various biocontrol options. The event, attended by over 130 participants, included presentations from the portal’s partner representatives, Dr Gina M Swart of Syngenta Crop Protection AG, Brian Spencer from Applied Bio-nomics Ltd and Rachel Hagel of TerraLink.
In her presentation at the launch event, Dr Swart said, “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. It helps them, as well as their customers/stakeholders, to make the right 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 to ensure responsible and sustainable use of our products.”
It is increasingly clear that certain kinds of chemical pesticides in agriculture are creating serious human health and environmental effects. The portal, which is predicted to become the go-to resource for identifying and sourcing biocontrol and biopesticide products, will be particularly beneficial for growers looking to replace chemical pesticides with biological products to meet market or export standards, satisfy consumer demands for healthier and safer food and reduce pressures on the environment.
Dr Ulrich Kuhlmann, Executive Director, Global Operations at CABI, said, “Globally, an estimated 40 percent of crops are lost to pests and diseases. The CABI BioProtection Portal offers a ‘one-stop shop’ for growers to fight unwanted insect pests and diseases with more sustainable and safer biocontrol and biopesticide products – as part of their integrated pest management strategy – to reduce the impact on their yields and potential damage to Canada’s rich and varied landscapes. I greatly appreciate that the Canadian Pest Management Centre supports our global initiative as they are partnering with the grower community, provincial governments, scientific experts, and the crop protection industry to identify critical pest problems and match them with potential solutions.”
Users of the CABI BioProtection Portal enter their country and crop-pest query in the system and generate key information on biocontrol and biopesticide products that are authorised by national regulators for that specific search. Information is sourced directly from national governments’ list of registered pesticides and from partner biocontrol manufacturers.
In her presentation at the launch event, Ms Hagel said, “We are proud to back the CABI BioProtection Portal as it supports the use of eco-friendly products and connects growers with local resources and experts.”
“It also provides factual information to help educate and inform those interested in biological solutions to pest problems in production agriculture and helps promote soil and plant health and sustainable and regenerative practices.”
Brian Spencer, owner of the first biocontrol manufacturing company in Canada – Applied Bio-nomics Ltd. – supports CABI’s passion to increase awareness and knowledge of biological control and partnered with the CABI BioProtection Portal as he recognises how relevant this decision support tool will be to the Canadian market.
The CABI BioProtection Portal has now been launched in Canada, in addition to already helping farmers reduce reliance on chemical pesticides in Kenya, Ghana, Morocco, Bangladesh, Brazil, Uganda, Chile, Colombia, France, Jordan, Spain and Peru.
The innovative tool has been made available by CABI in collaboration with its network of partner biocontrol manufacturers (Applied Bio-nomics, TerraLink, Biobest, e-nema, Idai Nature, Koppert Biological Systems, Oro Agri and Syngenta), donors (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, African Development Bank, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development), associates (BioProtection Global, International Organisation of Biological Control, Biological Agri Solutions of India) who provide invaluable support in the form of technical inputs, strategic guidance and funding, and sponsors Nespresso.
